


Run for Cover

by rorschachs



Series: The Others AU [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, M/M, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves, Written in Red AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-10-02 09:10:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17261501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rorschachs/pseuds/rorschachs
Summary: Neil thought that the most dangerous part of his new job would be his werewolf boss. Andrew Minyard seems determined to prove him wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU based off Written in Red by Anne Bishop, although I changed a lot of the details of her universe and the plot diverges pretty quickly. One of the aspects of this universe is that blood prophets have to cut themselves to make prophecies. I tagged this as self-harm just to be safe and if you want more detailed warnings about when it appears, you can check the end notes of each chapter. You can also message me if you have any questions.

The night of the storm, Nathaniel could feel his mother’s blood drying sticky on his skin. The wind howled and her screams echoed in his ears, only this time they never reached their eventual gurgling end. It was like he was two places at once; gritty sand and blood coated his hands as he tried desperately to staunch the bleeding in one moment while the wind and snow pelted his face in another, a constant reminder that he was about as far from that California beach as possible.

“Go north,” she had choked out, in between the screams that she had never before been weak enough to let through before. “Go north,” and “He’ll never find you there,” and “They won’t stop howling.”

He’d gotten better, over the years, at deciphering meaning from the jumbled words of her visions. Better than all of the men in white suits that his father hired, better than the clients that waited impatiently for a glimpse into their futures. But as she bled out in his arms, every prophecy beneath her skin spilling out into the sand below, he couldn’t decipher anything more than the lesson already ingrained into his skin: never stop running.

Never stop running, and go north.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he lost her. It couldn’t have been more than a month, nothing compared to the years they had spent on the run and the years before that he had spent as nothing more than one of his father’s many assets. Time was already strange for a blood prophet and within the walls of his father’s compound, he had known nothing beyond white walls and thin razor blades and the ever-present awareness that he was allowed to see every future but his own.

He hadn’t known the difference between day and night outside of training until they ran away.

“This is day,” his teacher would say, clicking a button to show a picture of the sun and bright blue skies. “This is night,” and he would see stars and the moon and glowing street lamps.

When his mother took him, he looked up at the glowing orb of the moon for the first time, felt the cool breeze on his skin and the damp grass beneath his feet, and could think nothing more than, “ _This is night_.”

For that one, shining moment, the world had seemed just within his grasp. Every flashcard, every short video clip designed to teach him just enough that he could understand his visions about the world but not survive in it, formed a universe that he, too, had his place in. This was night. Soon, there would be day.

Then time started again, and Nathaniel suddenly understood why his father was so confident that he would never leave the compound. A picture of a white van would never have been enough to teach him the way his mother fumbled with the keys she had hidden in her shirt and started the engine with shaking fingers, constantly glancing over her shoulder and keeping Nathaniel pressed against her side so hard he could barely breathe. The video of two adults in suits smiling and shaking hands could never explain the way his mother slowed the van down at the exit of the compound, stared into the guard’s eyes for ten long seconds before he looked away and opened the gate, confronting Nathaniel with the sudden knowledge that his mother might be understood by someone other than just him.

After that, the world came fast and hard. There was no time for the slow and careful learning of his youth when it felt as though every second was a matter of survival. His mother taught him how to disappear into a crowd, how to learn what he needed by watching others and how to fake what he didn’t. For years on the run, he learned to pretend that he had always been a part of this world. After nearly eight years, his father reminded him that he wasn’t.

After she was gone, time lost the little meaning it had gained while they were outside the compound. Nathaniel moved through stop-motion pictures of day and night, no direction but the one her last words had imparted to him, trying desperately to recognize something from his visions. The howling snowstorm that screamed back memories of her death was the first familiar thing in weeks.

Nathaniel wasn’t dressed for the weather, but he had only stopped to buy clothes once since California. It had been warm there, the heat so stifling that sometimes he could barely stand the long sweatshirts and jeans that were necessary to hide the scars that covered his skin. Here, his ragged sweatshirt might as well have been silk for all the protection it offered against the storm. The hood, pulled low over his eyes, did little to protect his face from the stinging bite of the snow, and he’d tucked his hands securely beneath his armpits but lost feeling in them about an hour ago.

He was the only one on the street at the moment; all of the town’s inhabitants were smart enough to know when the weather had won. Or maybe his father’s men were closer than he had thought, and everyone had locked themselves away to avoid the impending bloodshed.

“This is freezing,” his teacher had said all those years ago, and a frozen corpse with blue-tinged skin flashed across the screen. “This is cold,” and he had held an ice cube against Nathaniel’s hand until it went numb. Nathaniel wondered how similar his skin looked to that body right now. He wondered whether his father’s men would take pictures of his frozen corpse and use it to teach the next blood prophet.

He didn’t know why he stopped in front of the dimly lit storefront, only that one moment he was stumbling forward and the next he was still, squinting to read a tattered sign taped to the inside of the window, each word new yet achingly familiar.

_Wanted:_

_Human Liaison_

_Apply at Howling Good Reads_

And, just above that: 

 _H.L.D.N.A._  

H.L.D.N.A. Human law does not apply. So he was near a Courtyard, possibly even in it already. That might explain the lack of other people. Humans might claim to live alongside the _terra indigene_ , more commonly known as the Others, but everyone understood that human civilization only existed so long as the Others allowed it to. Most of the Others preferred to live in the wilderness that covered vast swathes of North America, out of sight but never quite out of mind, but those that didn’t mind humans as much, or at least, didn’t mind the occasional snack, occupied the Courtyards. They served as small points of contact between the two worlds and a constant reminder that the Others were never truly absent. And apparently, this Courtyard needed someone to further smooth that point of contact.

Nathaniel was human, or at least, human adjacent. Human in the Others’ eyes. And as much as the human world might fear his father, they would surely fear the Others more. Prey might fight amongst itself, but it still understood the predator. Nathaniel was more aware of his prey status than most of the humans who lived alongside the Others, and he was pretty sure he would prefer being eaten over going back to his father.

In the end, the snow made the decision for him. He could die out here, wait for his father’s men to catch him, or take his chances inside. At least this way he might die warm.

As soon as Nathaniel opened the door of the shop, a wave of warmth flowed over him. A small bell chimed as he entered, but while all of the lights were on inside, he couldn’t see any signs of life. His mother always told him that the Others had different ideas about human time. The few that chose to interact with the human world did so out of boredom rather than any real desire to make money, and their business practices reflected that. It was possible that no one had felt like coming in to work that day. Or the store’s hours were over, and he was going to be eaten for trespassing at any moment.

Nathaniel hovered by the doorway for a few minutes, the illusion that he had an escape route comforting even if he knew he would never be able to outrun the shop owner if things went poorly. Looking around, it became clear pretty quickly that this particular experiment in human business was a bookstore. Neat rows of bookshelves took up the majority of the space, with a small display in the center that featured a somewhat worrying collection of cookbooks mixed with books on human anatomy. A door on the left led into what looked like an empty café, with a sign above it that said “A Little Bite,” and the cash register sat directly against the back wall.

And then, between one second and the next, there was a wolf in front of him.

For all the time his mother had spent drilling the instinct to flee into him, true fear always made Nathaniel freeze. It happened in the compound when he or his mother couldn’t see what his father demanded of them. It happened in California when his father finally caught up to them. Now, it seemed that his father and this creature had the same effect.

He and the creature stared at each other for several long moments. Creature was the right word, because no picture of a wolf that Nathaniel had been shown could truly be compared to this. It would be like calling a house cat a mountain lion. Maybe they had been similar, millions of years ago, but no one would keep a mountain lion as a pet. And no one could mistake what stood before him for an animal.

The Wolf came up to nearly his chest, with shaggy black fur that did nothing to hide the rippling muscles beneath its skin. The green eyes that stared back at him were too intelligent to be an animal’s but too savage to be human, and Nathaniel was certain that its twitching ears could hear every beat of his pounding heart. Nathaniel’s father wore power like a crown; the Wolf exuded power with every breath.

The hammering of Nathaniel’s heart eventually clued him in to the fact that he wasn’t dead. The Wolf might have been waiting for him to say something, or simply savoring the sight of its next meal. Either way, Nathaniel felt that explaining himself couldn’t worsen his chances of survival.

“I’m here about the job posting,” he said, his voice surprisingly steady. 

The Wolf stared silently.

“The Human Liaison?”

The Wolf shifted slightly.

“I’m a human.” Nathaniel winced; that was too obvious. Most people wouldn’t feel the need to point out their humanity. “And I can do…whatever you need. Whatever a Human Liaison does.”

Still no response, and his mother’s training was finally beginning to override his initial fear response. “Or I could leave. Actually, maybe I should just-" 

The Wolf stepped forward and its body lost its form for a moment. Nathaniel closed his eyes almost out of instinct, and when he opened them there was a man standing in front of him. Only this, too, couldn’t truly be mistaken for a man. At first glance he might appear human; a tall man with dark hair and green eyes who might have been only a few years older than Nathaniel. But his eyes still shone with something that screamed “predator,” and when he moved Nathaniel got the distinct sense that he was being stalked.

“You do not smell like a human.” He sounded accusing, and Nathaniel couldn’t tell if the growl in his voice was natural or a threat.

“I’m not- I’m not an Other.”

“Obviously.” This time the growl was definitely intentional.

The man strode forward until they were practically sharing breaths, and Nathaniel had to dig his nails into his palms to fight the urge to stumble back. The man’s complete nudity did nothing to comfort him, although Nathaniel was too concerned with keeping an eye on his teeth to bother looking down.

The man sniffed, nostrils flaring in a way that shouldn’t have been possible. “You smell like chemicals.”

“There’s hair dye,” Nathaniel said quickly. “In my hair. That’s probably what you smell.”

The man’s frown deepened. “Take it out.”

Nathaniel felt like they were having two separate conversations. “I can’t- I can’t take it out right now. It doesn’t work like that.”

The man’s upper lip curled back into a snarl that was somehow just as terrifying on a human face. “Not _now_. Once you work here. We cannot have a liaison who stinks.”

Nathaniel thought he probably should have been offended, but fear and confusion won out. “Are you hiring me?”

The man looked deeply unimpressed with the question. “Do you not want me to?”

“No, I just- you don’t even want to see my resume?”

“Do you have one?”

“I- no.”

They stared at each other for another long moment of silence. Nathaniel felt as if they were pantomiming a process neither of them truly understood.

Eventually, the man gave a huff of frustration. “Every other liaison so far has quit or been disposed of. If you can do the job and you are not insufferable, we will hire you.”

“I can do the job,” Nathaniel said with far more confidence than he actually felt.

If all of the other liaisons had quit, he wouldn’t be missed too badly when he eventually moved on. He could lay low here for a while, in the territory of the Others where even his father’s men wouldn’t dare search, and then when the time came, he would disappear. Most people would probably just assume the Others had gotten tired of him and eaten him, if anyone noticed his presence in the first place.

The man considered him for a moment and then nodded. “The position comes with room and board. I’m assuming you will need that?”

There didn’t seem to be any point in beating around the bush. “Yes.”

The man nodded decisively. “There are efficiency apartments on the border between the Courtyard and the rest of town. They are all empty right now, but others might stay there sometimes. You will live in one of them.”

The man clearly wasn’t asking Nathaniel’s opinion on that fact, but he nodded anyway.

“The salary is hourly. We do not pay human taxes, and if you do then it is your responsibility to make those arrangements. As the liaison, you will have access to all of the areas of the Courtyard which are accessible to humans. Access to the Inner Courtyard will be based completely on our judgment. If you decide that your curiosity is stronger than our judgment, we will eat you.”

This time the man did seem to expect a response. “Understood.”

“I will show you your apartment and we will discuss the responsibilities of your job in the morning.” The man turned to go and then paused, frowning again as if the conventions of human conversation exhausted him. “Do you have a name?”

Nathaniel hesitated. He had been Chris when his mother died, but that name had died alongside her. He didn’t want to be Nathaniel here, not in the one place his father might not be able to reach.

“Neil. Neil Josten.”

The man narrowed his eyes, and Nathaniel understood almost immediately that he knew he was being lied to. A beat passed, and Nathaniel wondered if a lie like that was enough of an offense to warrant his death.

“My name is Kevin. I will take you to the apartment now.”

He turned away again and began to walk, and Nathaniel stumbled after him as soon as his survival sunk in.

They walked past the register and into a storeroom that Nathaniel hadn’t noticed before, moving through piles of boxes until they reached a door that led back outside. Kevin didn’t bother turning off the lights or locking the door of the bookstore, but Nathaniel supposed that no one was stupid enough to try and steal from the Courtyard.

The short time indoors had almost been enough to make Nathaniel forget the freezing weather outdoors, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets and ducked his head against the wind as the cold slammed into him like a brick wall. They were only outside for a few minutes, following a path that Nathaniel couldn’t make sense of through the snow, but by the time Kevin stopped in front of a plain brick building Nathaniel was already shivering again.

Kevin withdrew a key ring from his pocket and inserted one of the larger ones into the door. “You will need a key to get into the building and a key for your specific apartment. I will have copies made for you by tomorrow morning, but for now, do not leave the apartment unless you know someone can let you back in.”

Nathaniel wasn’t sure where Kevin thought he might go in the middle of a storm of this magnitude, but he nodded anyway. Once inside they climbed a short flight of stairs to a hallway with three doors, and Kevin stopped by the first door on their right. Another key, and then Nathaniel was entering what would hopefully serve as his home for the next few weeks. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had permission to live somewhere.

The apartment was small and sparsely decorated, but compared to what he was used to it might as well have been a mansion. The front door opened into a room that served as a combination of a living room and a kitchen; a half-fridge, sink, and stove were tucked against the wall with the door and a couch and small table and chair took up the rest of the space. A door to his left led to what he assumed was a bedroom.

“Water and electricity will be provided. You are responsible for the upkeep of your room, but if you have problems with maintenance you can ask us to call a human service. There is a place to do laundry at the Courtyard’s community center, but you will have to pay for it.”

Kevin paused, frowning as he looked Nathaniel up and down. “Don’t humans usually have more things than this?”

“I don’t.”

Kevin didn’t seem satisfied with that response. “You already stink. If you show up to work tomorrow looking like this, no one will want to approach you. You will be pointless.”

It was idiotic to snap at something that could eat him without a second thought, but Nathaniel was cold and tired and the adrenaline from the past few hours was beginning to wear off. “I don’t have anything else. I don’t know what you expect me to do about that.”

Kevin’s frown deepened. “I will send someone tomorrow to take you shopping and get something more appropriate. We will take it out of your first paycheck.”

When Nathaniel didn’t offer up any objections Kevin nodded decisively. “I will see you tomorrow.”

And then he was gone, and Nathaniel was truly alone. He stood by the door for a few minutes, trying to make sense of what had just happened, but eventually gave up and entered the bedroom. This was small too, a bed tucked against the right wall with a few feet of space and then a chair and desk, and another door that was probably for a bathroom. A small chest of drawers was tucked under the bed, but that seemed to be about everything in terms of furniture.

Nathaniel slipped off his shoes and moved closer to the set of drawers. Maybe he could store his new clothes there in the future, but for now, he would keep his few possessions in the pockets of his jeans where they had remained for the past few months. Always better to be prepared for a quick exit.

Nathaniel flipped off the lights, plunging the room into darkness but for the small sliver of light from a streetlamp that crept through the window on the back wall. The blankets smelled like dust and moth balls when Nathaniel crawled under them, and he wondered briefly if the Others always kept the apartment beds made or if these had belonged to the last Human Liaison. He didn’t particularly care either way; all that mattered was that they were warm.

His shivering gradually began to subside as he wrapped his arms around himself, slowly allowing the tension to seep from his frame. He was warm. He was secure. Safe, even, at least for now.

Maybe, just for these next few short weeks, he could truly be Neil Josten. No one here knew him; he doubted the Others would even want to. And even his father wasn’t powerful enough to challenge the Courtyard, at least not directly. If he ever discovered Nathaniel here, he would almost certainly find a way to get him outside of the Courtyard’s boundaries and back to the compound. But he wouldn’t be desperate enough to extend his search into the Courtyard until he had made extensive preparations, and by that time Nathaniel would be long gone. Neil Josten could survive for a few weeks at least.

Neil pulled the blanket tighter around himself and closed his eyes, confident for the first time in years that he would wake up the next morning. Soon, there would be day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the awesome response to the first chapter! I'll probably be posting every Sunday from now on, and I've got everything written (if not completely edited) so there shouldn't be any interruptions. Hope you enjoy!

Neil awoke to the distinct feeling that he was being watched. His mother had trained a certain sense of paranoia into him ever since they first ran, and half the time he could feel eyes on him even when he was alone. But this felt more real than his usual early morning suspicion, his heart already starting to pound as if it had sensed the threat before he did.

Neil cracked his eyes open, squinting in the early morning light that drifted through the window, and jolted so hard he nearly fell out of the bed.

The man sitting in Neil’s chair raised a single eyebrow at Neil’s reaction, leaning forward slightly as Neil scrambled back in bed.

“What the fuck?” It came out muddled and fearful, showing a weakness his mother would have killed him for.

He groped under his pillow for a gun, but of course that had been lost in California along with everything else that kept him alive.

The man didn’t respond, just continued to stare at Neil. It only took a moment of observation to discern what his body had known almost automatically. The short blond hair and seemingly disinterested hazel eyes couldn’t conceal the predator that sat before him. Maybe he wasn’t a Wolf, but he certainly wasn’t human.

“What are you doing here?” Neil asked, fighting to make his voice steady. Maybe Kevin had changed his mind. Maybe the Others had decided that Neil would be more useful as a meal than as a liaison.

“I’m here to greet the new liaison.” He sounded faintly amused. “I’m Andrew. And you’re…Neil.”

The way he said it made it clear that he knew the name was a lie.

“Kevin sent you?”

“He said your clothes made you look like you had crawled out of a gutter. Among other criticisms.”

“Yeah, I’m aware he isn’t my biggest fan.”

Andrew shrugged. “He thinks you smell strange.”

Neil winced. “It’s the hair dye. I can’t fix it right now, but it should come out soon.”

“No,” Andrew said slowly, slipping out of the chair and onto his feet. Neil found himself caught on how short he was. Shorter than a monster ought to be. “It’s not the hair dye. He says you don’t smell like prey.”

Andrew moved closer, his movements just a touch too fluid. “But you are prey, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

Neil forced himself to stay still. “I don’t know why I smell that way.”

Andrew’s lip quirked up in a half-smile. “He did say you were a bad liar. Do you want to know what you smell like to me, Neil Josten?”

Neil met his eyes. He was pretty sure that was the opposite of what you were supposed to do with a predator. Something about a challenge for dominance. But he doubted Andrew viewed anything about him as a challenge.

“Not really, no.”

The half-smile became a whole one. “So you do have a spine. Most of the others didn’t. Or at least,” he bared his teeth in a feral grin, “not a metaphorical one. We all enjoyed their real spines.”

Maybe spending the first decade of his life in a compound truly had disrupted the development of a few key instincts, or maybe his mother had trained fear into him so deeply that he had forgotten which situations actually called for it.

“Maybe you wouldn’t have so much trouble finding a Human Liaison if you didn’t eat them all.” He mirrored Andrew’s smile. “Just an observation.”

“The Wolves are the ones concerned with playing nice with the human world. Once you inevitably remind Kevin why mortals frustrate him so much, I’ll happily remind him of your benefits. Us _Sanguinati_ know that humans only serve one true purpose.”

 _Sanguinati_. Vampire. Maybe not as threatening as a Wolf at first glance, but far more dangerous in the long run. Wolves hunted prey; _Sanguinati_ hunted for pleasure.

Neil sat up fully, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and bringing himself nearly nose to nose with Andrew. Sitting up, Neil was taller than him. It wasn’t nearly as comforting as it should have been.

“Kevin has to get tired of me first. Weren’t you supposed to buy me new clothes?”

For one long, tense second, Neil thought that Andrew might just abandon all pretenses and kill him then and there. His body locked up in anticipation without his say so, his breath catching in his chest. Did it hurt, to be drained of blood?

Then something imperceptible changed, and the moment passed. Neil wasn’t sure what it was, only that one second he had been facing down a predator and now he was looking at something at least pretending to be human.

“Was I?” Andrew asked, sounding bored again.

“So that I wouldn’t look like I crawled out of a gutter.”

Andrew looked Neil up and down slowly. “I doubt new clothes will do much to rectify that, but we can try.”

Andrew took a step back, holding out an expectant hand. “Shall we?”

Neil hesitated, glancing between the hand and Andrew. It would be an insult to refuse the proffered help. But Andrew didn’t seem like the type to help him up out of the goodness of his heart. A moment later Andrew made the decision for him, grabbing his hand and tugging him from the bed.

For a second the surprise of the movement masked the pain, and then suddenly it was like a thousand pinpricks at once stabbed into his hand. Neil gasped, trying to yank his hand free, but Andrew only squeezed it tighter, the pain ratcheting up a few notches.

He leaned in closer, inhaling deeply by Neil’s neck. “What you smell like to me, Neil Josten, is a complication. But the Courtyard has its own way of dealing with those.”

Andrew finally released him, allowing Neil to stumble back and clutch his hand to his chest. Hundreds of tiny droplets of blood welled up from his skin as if they had been literally dragged out from his veins. Apparently, the _Sanguinati_ fed in more ways than one. He was lucky in one sense at least; whatever Andrew had done to him hadn’t actually cut through his skin, which meant he didn’t have to worry about fighting back a prophecy while trying to survive this maniac.

Andrew glanced down at his own hand, turning it back and forth and running his tongue along his bottom lip consideringly. “Well. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“You’re the one who just attacked me!”

“All I did was have a taste. Enough to know why Kevin doesn’t think you smell like prey.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Neil snapped, surreptitiously wiping the blood on the inside of his sweatshirt. One more stain wouldn’t make a difference.

“Maybe not. But sooner or later the truth will come out. If I were you, Neil Josten, I’d do my best to make sure the truth isn’t something that will get you killed.”

The truth would do worse than get him killed. It would get him back in his father’s compound, strapped down to a chair while his father cut every prophecy out of his skin until he had nothing left to give. Death by vampire would probably be preferable.

Neil clenched his teeth and glared back at Andrew. “I just want to do my job. The one Kevin hired me to do. So unless you’re going to fire me because my blood tastes strange, I’d like to get on with things.”

“When I fire you, you’ll be aware of it.” Andrew turned and walked to the door, pausing when Neil didn’t immediately follow him. “Well? I thought you wanted to get some new clothes. I don’t have all day.”

It was probably stupid, following Andrew out of the relative safety of his apartment, but if this morning was anything to go by his apartment couldn’t be considered all that safe to begin with. Neil only hesitated a moment before he pulled on his shoes and hurried after him.

Andrew led him out the door, which was suspiciously still locked, and down the stairs to the entrance that he and Kevin had used the night before. The storm had left behind a fresh layer of snow, but in the daylight, Neil could actually make out his surroundings. This entrance faced the Courtyard, with a small walk leading into what appeared to be the area of the Courtyard open to humans. They passed several small buildings and what might have been the back of Howling Good Reads before Andrew led him around another building to the street entrance.

There was no sign above the store, but a collection of heavy coats, swimsuits, and what appeared to be kimonos filled the window display. Andrew walked inside without looking to see if Neil followed and headed straight to the back, immediately pulling several shirts off a rack and stuffing them into Neil’s arms.

“There’s no uniform, so it doesn’t really matter what you wear, but given your current attire I’m not sure I trust you to pick out your own clothes.”

The shirts were mostly black and inoffensive, so Neil kept his mouth shut, instead looking around the store while Andrew continued to grab random clothing articles. It seemed like they were the only customers, although that made sense given the relatively early hour. He couldn’t figure out exactly how the shop was organized; it looked more like the Others had picked out whatever items of clothing they thought humans wore and hung them around the room based on a whim. Heavy winter boots were placed on a display next to thongs, and the single mannequin wore two scarves, sunglasses, a heavy sweater, and what appeared to be swim trunks.

“Try them on,” Andrew snapped, drawing Neil back into the present. Andrew gestured towards a small dressing room.

Neil glanced between the pile of clothes in his arms and the dressing room. Logically, nothing too horrible could happen if he changed in there, but he still hated the idea of being so vulnerable in a public place, especially when all of his possessions were still stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.

“They look like they’ll fit.”

“And you’ll know that they fit once you try them on.” Upon seeing Neil’s continued hesitance, Andrew rolled his eyes. “I’m not asking, Josten. Try them on, and if you come back still wearing this atrocity, I’ll turn this into an early brunch. You’re not representing the Courtyard dressed like that.”

Andrew didn’t look like he was going to change his mind anytime soon, so Neil finally gave in and walked over to the room. The flimsy lock would probably do nothing in the face of an Other, but it still made him feel better to click it shut once he was inside.

There was no way he was going to try on all the clothes Andrew had given him, so Neil settled on a plain black sweater and a dark set of jeans. After he had changed into them, he carefully transferred the contents of his pockets into the new pants and folded his old clothes into the pile of new ones. He was out of the dressing room in only a few minutes, and Andrew raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

The girl at the cash register watched Neil with interest as Andrew paid, stuffing the clothes into bags haphazardly and nodding distractedly when Andrew told her to have them delivered to the utility apartments.

Then they were off again, this time retracing their path from earlier and coming to a stop in front of a small building tucked at the intersection of the two roads that bordered the Courtyard. A large driveway wrapped around it, which Neil assumed was for delivery trucks, although it was empty at the moment. Andrew took him in through the entrance that opened into the Courtyard, and the moment he pushed open the door Neil was hit by the sound of shouting voices.

“...lose a human in less than 12 hours!” That was Kevin, furious by the sound of it, the growl in his voice nearly overtaking the words.

“I told you he wasn't there!” The other voice responded. “How is that my fault? You were the last person to see him; if anything you're the one who lost him!”

“I did not lose him! He was in the apartment when I left! He should have been there when you came to get him this morning!”

The conversation cut off abruptly as they fully entered the small office. Kevin stood opposite them on the other side of a small counter, scowling at a smaller man who seemed to be doing his best to inch away from the angry Wolf. They both looked up at the interruption, but Kevin's scowl only deepened at the sight of Andrew and Neil.

“Andrew.” It was more of a snarl than a word.

“Kevin.” Andrew sounded almost like he was enjoying himself. “What's this I hear about you losing your pet human? Pretty early, even for you.”

Kevin's jaw flexed. “Nicky went to get Neil from his apartment this morning to get him new clothes and show him the Liaison Office. He was not there.”

Neil whipped around to look at Andrew. “You said Kevin sent you to get me!”

“Did I? I don't remember saying anything about being sent. You can't blame me for your own foolish assumptions.”

"This is not amusing, Andrew," Kevin hissed. “We cannot keep doing this. None of the delivery men will even come into the office anymore after Aaron's stunt with that cop. None of the Courtyard's packages are getting delivered; people are starting to get annoyed. Riko wants it fixed.”

Andrew widened his eyes comically. “Oh, _Riko_ wants it fixed? Why didn't you say anything, Kevin? You know I would do anything to make things easier for our beloved leader. I guess I just didn't get the message. Communication can be hard, you know, when the pack leader is never with the pack.”

“Maybe he would not have to spend so much time outside of the Courtyard if your kind would stop causing so much trouble-”

“We're causing trouble?” Andrew's voice took on a dangerous edge. “Kevin, we're playing nice. If you don't appreciate our efforts, you can always send Riko over to the Chambers and he can discuss it with us in person.”

“Neil!” The man Kevin had been yelling at waved his arms in a sudden burst of motion. “I'm Nicky. I would have introduced myself earlier, but the schedule got a bit confused. Why don't I show you the ropes so you can get started with your job as soon as possible?”

It was by no means a subtle attempt to dispel the tension, but it did at least some of the trick. Kevin's shoulders relaxed slightly and Andrew looked away, the dangerous smile falling from his face.

“I’ll let you handle the training portion,” Andrew said, giving Kevin a mock salute. “I’ve gotten what I came for.”

Kevin watched him go, scowling, and then turned back to Neil. “I need to open the bookstore. Nicky will tell you what to do. Try not to mess anything up too badly.”

He was gone before Neil could formulate a retort, leaving him alone with the man who was apparently supposed to be his guide. Nicky beamed at him as if the argument they had just witnessed had never happened.

“So you’re the new Human Liaison! I’m so glad Kevin finally found someone new; I’ve been trying to order some new clothes for _ages_ , but they never get delivered. The Courtyard stores have absolutely nothing good unless you’re trying to roleplay the 1600s. But I guess you already saw that.”

Nicky paused, seeming to expect a response.

“Yes?”

“It’s just ridiculous! I don’t know why everyone has to make such a big fuss over a few small incidences! There haven’t even been any fatalities! At least, not for the delivery services. Hopefully, now that there’s a human to sign off on packages they’ll actually start doing their jobs again.”

“So is that what I do? Sign off on packages?”

“Yes, did Kevin not cover your duties during the job interview?”

“It was…an abridged interview.”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “That’s just like him. Explain nothing and then get annoyed when we can’t read his mind. The job’s not too complicated. You’re mostly just here to smooth things over between us and the human world, do the jobs that the _terra indigene_ are too impatient to do.

“You’ll spend most of your mornings in here receiving and confirming deliveries. The window for that is between 8:00 and 12:00. Lunch is provided; you can go to A Little Bite or ask them to send something over. I’ll take you over there later. Then in the afternoons, you focus on sorting mail and delivering the packages within the Courtyard. The ponies will handle most of that; you just have to tell them where to take it.”

“The ponies?”

“Oh, you’re going to love them! You’ll get to meet them this afternoon. The first few days you’ll probably be pretty busy with sorting mail; there’s been a bit of a backup ever since our last liaison was…let go. You technically work from 8:00 to 4:00, but if you finish work for the day you can probably just grab a book from the bookstore and read it in the back.”

Nicky moved as he talked, flitting around the small office and moving things with no discernable order. The office itself was nothing impressive. A counter divided the room into halves, with the door that faced the street on one side and the door that Neil and Andrew had entered through on the other, behind the counter. A second door behind the counter led to what appeared to be the storage room, if the large cardboard boxes full of letters and packages were anything to go by. Nicky definitely hadn’t been exaggerating about the backup.

“You have the delivery men sign this,” a small clipboard was shoved into Neil’s hands, “and then you sign whatever forms they need. Make sure you note down what they brought, even if it’s just the company name. Then you can sort it out in the afternoon. It’s all really simple once you get the hang of it.”

“What do I do in the mornings in between deliveries?”

“Oh, whatever you want!” Nicky paused, letting out a small laugh. “Well, obviously not _whatever_ you want. You need to stay in the Liaison Office, and I would advise against going through anyone’s mail unless you’re not particularly fond of your limbs. You’ll probably get pretty bored, to be honest. I know I did.”

“You used to be the liaison? But you’re not…”

“Obviously,” Nicky laughed. “But Kevin needed someone to fill in when we couldn’t find a human to do the job. We dropped that idea pretty quickly, though; apparently, a Coyote isn’t the best fit for a job concerning privacy.”

“You still have all your limbs,” Neil pointed out.

“Just barely. And I’m pretty sure humans don’t heal the way that we do.”

Nicky paused, reaching into his pockets and then shoving something sharp into Neil’s hands. “I almost forgot! Kevin had these made for you.”

Neil looked down at the contents of his hands. A plain silver ring held three keys, two brass ones and a smaller silver one.

“These are for the efficiency apartments,” Nicky said, pointing to brass keys. “This one’s for the exterior door and this one’s for your apartment. And this one is for the Liaison Office; make sure you lock up when you leave each day.”

Neil nodded, slipping the keyring into his pocket to join his other belongings.

“Security is pretty lax around here, mostly because no one would be stupid enough to try and rob a Courtyard, but Kevin gets weird about the Liaison Office. Probably because it’s the place where the outside world has the most contact with us. The humans can shop at Howling Good Reads or eat at A Little Bite, but nothing would happen if we just decided to shut those stores down one day. The packages here are actually worth something to the _terra indigene_.”

Nicky continued to chat about the Courtyard, moving on to discussing the apparently dismal social options and bemoaning the fact that most of the Others still seemed caught in the eighties when it came to fashion trends. Neil zoned out a little, nodding where it was appropriate and trying to pretend that he was any more up to date on current trends than the Others. About fifteen minutes into Nicky’s rant on shoulder pads, the street facing door swung open.

The man who entered was obviously human, the first one Neil had seen in days. The first thing Neil noticed about him was his height; he was nearly taller than Kevin. He wore a plain brown uniform with _Foxhole Delivery Service_ stitched on the front pocket, and tribal tattoos covered most of the visible skin on his arms.

“Hello Nicky,” he said as he entered, stopping short at the sight of Neil. “Who’s this?”

“We finally roped another human into doing the dirty work,” Nicky said. He turned to Neil. “Wymack is one of the few drivers that would still come by when I manned the office.”

“You were one of the more helpful liaisons,” Wymack laughed. “Whoever you had in here for the past week didn’t even unlock the office half the time.”

“That would be Seth. Luckily, you won’t have to deal with any of us much longer. Neil will be the new liaison from now on.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Wymack said, extending his hand.

After a moment’s hesitation, Neil shook it. His experience with Andrew had already made him wary of touching others, but he didn’t want to make Wymack any more suspicious than necessary. His whole goal here was to fly under the radar.

“It’s good to see a human face,” Wymack said. “Makes my job easier, at least.” He handed over a small clipboard. “If you can sign for these, I can sign whatever you need me to.”

Neil signed the paper and then handed Wymack the clipboard that Nicky had given him. The clipboard didn’t seem to have any actual forms on it; just several pieces of blank white paper, but Wymack scrawled out his signature in the corner of a page without hesitation.

“You can go ahead and unload the packages in the back,” Nicky told Wymack. He turned to Neil as Wymack headed back out of the door. “After you sign for the packages, the drivers can put them in the storeroom through the back entrance. Then you go through what they’ve delivered when you have the time.”

“You just leave the back entrance open like that? I thought Kevin was weird about security for the office.”

“He worries when no one else is around. But as long as someone is here, the drivers know better than to try anything. Someone tried to steal a package a few years ago, and, well…” Nicky looked away. “It wasn’t technically a fatality. But no one will make that mistake again.”

Wymack reentered the office. “Alright, you’re all set.”

“Great!” Nicky said.

Wymack nodded to Neil. “I’ll be seeing you, Neil. I’ll let some of the other drivers know there’s a human back in the office; you might actually start getting some deliveries that way.” He waved to Nicky and then left again, whistling as he did so.

“Wymack is nice,” Nicky said once he was gone. “If he doesn’t like the Others, he at least does a good job of hiding it.”

“Do most humans dislike the Others?” Maybe it was a revealing question, showing how little he truly knew about ‘normal’ human conventions, but Neil was curious.

“Most humans are afraid of us. Which they should be, obviously. But a lot of times it’s easier to hate something than to fear it, so they convince themselves that it’s that instead. The feeling’s relatively mutual; most _terra indigene_ aren’t particularly fond of humans either.”

“Yeah, Andrew gave me that impression this morning. What’s his problem, anyway?”

“Oh, don’t take it personally. Andrew’s like that with everyone; he probably just doesn’t get enough sun.”

“It seemed pretty personal to me.”

Nicky shrugged, suddenly looking anywhere but Neil. “Andrew can be…difficult. He and Kevin co-own Howling Good Reads, but they have different ideas about how business should be done. Kevin at least tries to keep things peaceful with the humans. Andrew says that any human who enters a Courtyard shop has already accepted the risks of becoming a snack. He and Riko have nearly killed each other over that point a few times.”

“Riko?”

“The Alpha of the Wolves. Of the whole Courtyard, really. He handles pretty much everything, including relations with the human world, so he’s gone a lot. Kevin manages the Courtyard while he’s away since he’s second in command, so you’ll probably see more of Kevin than him.”

“If Riko is the Alpha, why doesn’t Andrew listen to him?”

Nicky frowned, his foot beginning to tap lightly against the floor. “The _Sanguinati_ have their own way of doing things. If it came down to an all-out war, the Wolves would probably win. Eventually. But the losses would be too heavy; even Riko can see that. So Riko doesn’t push too hard and Andrew doesn’t directly oppose him. It works out.”

Given the tension he had witnessed earlier that morning, Neil wasn’t sure if it could truly be labeled as ‘working out,’ but he chose to remain silent. Nicky seemed uncomfortable enough about the subject as it was. Besides, Neil had no desire in getting involved in the feuds of a bunch of supernatural beings that could kill him without blinking.

He would only be in the Courtyard for a few weeks. Whatever happened between Andrew, Riko, and Kevin, he doubted it would end up mattering much to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the feedback I've gotten so far! I've included trigger warnings for this specific chapter in the end note.

Neil and Nicky spent the rest of the morning in the office, but Wymack was the only driver to come by. At 12:00, Nicky flipped the sign on the front door to closed and locked it.

“There will be more later,” he assured Neil as they headed out to the café. “Once word gets around that we’ve got a human again, you’ll probably be overrun by them.”

They came to a stop outside the café that Neil had seen attached to Howling Good Reads. It was far busier than the night before, with a steady stream of customers flowing in and out. At least half of them looked like they were human.

“You’re going to love Renee,” Nicky said as they shoved past a small group that had gathered around the door. “She owns A Little Bite, so you’ll probably be seeing a lot of her. No one’s quite sure what she is, but she’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. Even Andrew likes her.”

Neil wasn’t too sure that he wanted to meet somebody that Andrew liked, but before he could say anything Nicky had pulled him to the cash register, completely disregarding the people behind them in line.

“Renee!”

The woman at the register looked up at the sound of her name and smiled. She was undeniably beautiful, with white hair that fell to about her chin, its pastel tips seeming to shimmer in the light.

“Katelyn, can you take the register?” she asked one of the other women behind the counter, and then moved around it to draw Nicky into a hug.

“Nicky, how are you? Here, let me get you a table.”

She led them to one of the few empty tables, taking a seat beside Nicky once they had settled in.

“This is Neil,” Nicky said, waving a hand in Neil’s direction.

Renee smiled at him, and as she did a strand of her hair flickered from blue to green. “You must be the new Human Liaison. Andrew mentioned you.”

“I’m assuming he didn’t have anything too flattering to say.”

Renee’s laugh sounded like tinkling bells. “He thought you were interesting. That’s an achievement in and of itself; not much catches Andrew’s attention these days.”

“I think I’d be fine without it.”

Renee didn’t seem to take any offense on Andrew’s behalf. “I’m glad Kevin finally found someone to take the job. Our inventory has been coming late for weeks now. The girls have started just bringing in supplies from town.”

“Renee hires humans too,” Nicky told Neil. “Katelyn and Laila. They’ll probably be glad to have another human around.”

“And you haven’t had any trouble keeping them?” Neil asked, realizing only a second after the words left his mouth that they might be considered rude.

“No,” Renee laughed. “But I’m a slightly more forgiving employer than Kevin is. And I don’t turn into a Wolf whenever a customer annoys me, which certainly helps.”

She paused, clapping her hands together. “Oh! Speaking of customers, you’d probably appreciate some food. I already know what Nicky likes; Neil, do you have any preferences?”

“I’ll have whatever you recommend.”

“Wonderful, I’ll be right back.”

Renee walked back to the counter as Nicky beamed at Neil. “Isn’t she great?”

“She seems really nice.”

Too nice, if Neil was being honest. Her warm manner couldn’t disguise the fact that she was an Other, and the fact that even Nicky didn’t know what she was made Neil even more uneasy. Unknown variables were always a threat.

“Renee is probably the reason the shops in the Courtyard are still in business, to be honest. People like to go to an Other-owned store for the thrill of it, but they usually come back because they know Renee won’t eat them.”

“Does that happen a lot? You’d think people would just stop coming to the Courtyard.”

“It doesn’t really happen to customers. There might have been an incident five or so years ago, and stories about it keep the thrill circulating. But if people come into the Courtyard without permission…” Nicky shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. “They know the rules. Human law doesn’t apply. We have our own ways of dealing with trespassers.”

Renee returned, carrying a large plated sandwich in one hand a steaming bowl of soup in the other. She placed the soup in front of Neil, and he suddenly realized how hungry he was. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten; there might have been a cereal bar the day before, but he couldn’t be sure. His mother had trained him to push hunger aside, but now with food in front of him, the aching pangs of his stomach were impossible to ignore. He barely remembered to thank Renee before he dove in, nearly burning his tongue in the process.

“He’ll blend in well,” Renee told Nicky, who was eating his own meal much less frantically. “He eats like a Wolf.”

“Speaking of Wolves,” Nicky said, tilting his head towards the entrance to Howling Good Reads. “Looks like you have an audience, Neil.”

Neil paused in devouring his soup and glanced over to the door. A small crowd had formed just inside the entrance to the café, but this one clearly wasn’t human. A dark-skinned woman stood at the front of the group, watching Neil with sharp eyes and arms crossed. Behind her stood two men, one looking significantly angrier than the other, and another woman with platinum blond hair who looked more bored than anything. They didn’t seem to care that they had been caught staring, although the angry man’s scowl deepened when Neil looked at him.

“I suppose word has gotten around about the new Human Liaison,” Renee said.

“They don’t look thrilled,” Neil said, turning back to his soup. If a pack of Wolves was going to tear him to pieces, he could at least be full when they did it. “I thought you all wanted someone to take the job.”

Renee waved a dismissive hand. “They’re just a little suspicious of outsiders; that’s all. Kevin hired you, and they’re not going to go against Kevin. I’m sure Dan will warm up to you quickly.”

None of the Wolves looked particularly eager to warm up to him, but Neil let it go. They made no move to approach him, and he didn’t really see the point in introducing himself. They could learn his name if they wanted to; Neil was perfectly fine knowing as few people, or Others, as possible.

They finished lunch without further incident, and then Nicky took Neil back to the Liaison Office with promises to Renee to look after him.

“Delivery trucks come in the morning, so you’ve got the rest of the day to work on sorting mail and packages. The ponies will probably come over at around one, but they usually only deliver mail. You’ll have to handle packages yourself, but don’t do anything about that yet. Kevin will decide if you’re allowed in the Inner Courtyard for deliveries, and until then you can just sort them.”

They entered the back room of the office, and Neil paused to take in the overflowing amount of boxes. All four corners of the room were piled high with packages, and large cardboard boxes held letters that were stuffed together without any visible form of organization.

“I know things are a little hectic,” Nicky said, grabbing one of the nearest boxes and dumping its contents onto the large table in the center of the room. “For now, try sorting the letters according to Gard or location.”

“Gard?”

“Wolfgard, Hawkgard, that sort of thing.”

Nicky grabbed a random letter. “See this one? It says Corvine, the name for the Crowgard complex. This one is addressed to the Chambers; that’s the _Sanguinati_. Wolf complex is pretty self-explanatory, I think…”

Nicky spent the next half hour or so helping Neil sort through the rest of the box, and then the ponies arrived, announcing their presence at the back entrance with several small whinnies and huffs. They didn’t look particularly supernatural. There were four of them, various shades of brown and black with round, barrel-shaped bodies and baskets hanging from their flanks.

“This is Twister,” Nicky said, running his hand through the mane of the black pony near the front. “And here we have Thunder, Lightning, and Fog.”

Twister eyed Neil with an unimpressed stare.

“There should be a box of sugar cubes near the back to your left,” Nicky said. “That might make him warm up to you a little.”

Neil followed Nicky’s directions and returned with the box, carefully feeding each pony a cube of sugar. They still looked suspicious, but none of them bit his hand off, so he figured they would at least tolerate him.

“The ponies act as the couriers of the Courtyard, when they feel like it. Each of their baskets is labeled, see?” Nicky gestured to Twister’s basket, which was labeled ‘Wolfgard.’ “You just put the mail in the correct basket, and they’ll deliver it. If they don’t feel like coming into work, that complex doesn’t get its mail for the day, but they’re usually pretty dependable.”

“What happens when they get to the complexes?”

“There’s almost always someone who will sort it from there. Your main job is making sure it gets out of the Liaison Office.”

They divvied up the mail they had already sorted into the respective ponies’ baskets, and the ponies left without much fuss. It felt like they had sorted hundreds of letters, but when Neil turned back to look at the rest of the storeroom, they had barely made a dent. Nicky must have noticed his realization, because he laughed, clapping Neil on the shoulder companionably.

“I know it looks like a lot, but you’ll get the hang of things soon and the sorting will go quickly. You’ll probably die of boredom before anything else.”

Neil really hoped he was right.

\---

Nicky stayed with Neil for the rest of the day, helping him with the mail and then guiding him through the process of closing up the Liaison Office. It was long past four by the time they finished up, but Neil didn’t really mind. It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to be. Just as he was about to leave, Nicky stopped him.

“Before I forget, you need a Cash Card.”

“Cash Card?”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “Stupid name, I know. I tried to tell Kevin that human cash is different than their credit cards, but he didn’t care.”

He handed Neil a small black card that resembled the credit cards he had occasionally seen other humans using. He and his mother had only ever paid in cash, but luckily Nicky seemed to attribute his confusion to the name and not the concept.

“Your salary will be loaded onto it on a weekly basis. You can use it at any store in the Courtyard. If you need money for the outside world, you can talk to Kevin about getting some human cash. I know the girls at A Little Bite have some sort of deal about that worked out with Renee.”

Neil didn’t plan on leaving the Courtyard anyway, so the card worked fine for him. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” Nicky grinned. “You did well, for your first day. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning.”

Neil made the walk back to the efficiency apartments on his own. They were only a few minutes away from the Liaison Office, and it was relatively easy to retrace his steps from the morning. It was strange, entering an apartment building legally instead of squatting. The bags of clothes from that morning were piled against the door, and Neil grabbed them on his way in. Turning the key to enter his own apartment still didn’t feel quite real.

Neil closed the door and locked it behind him. There was something viscerally comforting about hearing the lock click, even if it would do nothing to hold back an angry Other. He and his mother had never had anything more permanent than a motel key, and even then there had never been the illusion of safety. They had slept in the same bed, back to back, the distinct shape of the gun beneath the pillow a comfort despite its lumpy shape. Maybe he wasn't any safer here, but at least this time the threat wasn't his father.

Neil glanced at the fridge, realizing suddenly that he would have to buy groceries. Not just pre-made meals or the cheapest thing on a restaurant's menu, but groceries that would last. Did the Courtyard even have a grocery store? He didn't want to risk going into the human world, but he would need more than one meal a day. Maybe he could ask Nicky about it. For now, he wasn't leaving the safety of his apartment again. The soup from lunch would have to be enough to sustain him until tomorrow.

Neil walked into the bedroom, dropping the bags of clothes by the desk, sitting down on the bed, and letting everything sink in. He'd never had a room of his own before. He had been too tired to consider much of anything last night, but now he had the chance to take it in. He had his own room. His own bed. His own door and lock and key. And his father couldn't touch any of it, not as long as Neil was under the protection of the Others. Well, not quite protection. But the threat of their existence alone would keep his father's men out.

By now, it was routine to check his pockets at the end of the day and make sure he still had everything, so Neil carefully emptied the contents of his new jeans onto the bed. It was barely anything. A twenty dollar bill he had stolen from someone at a bus stop last week. The fake ID from California. Useless, after his father had found them, but Neil didn't know how to get a new one and he couldn't stand to get rid of it. The keyring Nicky had given him. And the most important possession of all: a small razor blade, as pristine as the day they had run from the compound thanks to his mother's near-religious cleaning of it.

Neil ran his finger across the flat of the blade and felt an answering tingle beneath his skin. He hadn't used it since California. Couldn't risk it, with no one around to hear the prophecy and no way of knowing if he would be strong enough to keep from speaking the words out loud. With his mother, it hadn't been a problem. They would take turns, every two weeks like clockwork, drawing the blade across a half inch of skin and searching for any clue to their futures in the prophecies that spilled forth. With someone there to hear the prophecy, each word had brought with it a rush that Neil imagined rivaled that of the cocaine his father dealt in. But if there was no one to listen, the blood prophet was left with one of two options: speak the words aloud and forget them immediately or hold them inside and feel each cut a thousand times over.

His father used to punish them that way. Gag them and slice across old cuts, leading to an agonizing jumble of images that weren’t meant to be combined and no way to let them out. He’d only done it to Neil three times; every inch of Neil’s untarnished skin was worth thousands to those who wanted to see their futures, and his father wouldn’t give that up for punishment. There were other ways to make him hurt, ways that didn’t scar and kept his skin valuable.

His mother, on the other hand, had decades worth of scars to cut over. His father’s cruelty had been his undoing in the end; between the pain and the chaos and the visions, his mother had seen their way out.

Over their years on the run, she had done her best to teach him a different way of experiencing the visions. They weren’t a pain to endure or a commodity to sell; each cut was just another step in their continued survival. If a _cassandra sangue_ went too long without bleeding they would eventually go insane; if they cut too often they would bleed out. People used it as an excuse to keep the _cassandra sangue_ enslaved, claiming that blood prophets wouldn’t be able to survive on their own. There were hundreds of compounds across the country where people like his mother and him were kept, rented out to the highest buyer. His father hadn’t bothered with such a humane explanation; he kept the two of them purely to increase his own power. But Neil’s mother had built a life for them outside of such constant oversight and control. Her regimented routine was designed so that he was just beginning to feel the itch beneath his skin by the time it was his turn for the next cut.

Now, the itch was getting stronger, but he still couldn’t do anything about it. His mother would kill him for wasting a prophecy with no one around to hear it. Besides, there was a chance the Others might smell the blood. He couldn’t risk them asking any questions.

Neil carefully set the razor blade back down and turned to the bags of clothing. He hadn’t paid much attention to what exactly Andrew had picked out for him, but after a few minutes of digging around, he was able to find a pair of sweatpants with pockets and a grey sweatshirt. He slipped the clothes on, carefully placing his belongings into the new set of pockets, and crawled back into bed. It was still early, but he had been exhausted from the first moment he had woken up. No one was here to judge his early bedtime.

He was asleep almost instantly, and if he dreamed, he didn’t remember it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: At the end of the chapter, Neil thinks about making cuts in the past but doesn’t do anything about it.


	4. Chapter 4

Neil awoke the next morning thankfully alone. He took his time getting ready, finally going through the clothes from yesterday and picking out which ones he was most likely to actually wear. Andrew had thankfully given him relatively plain options; the brightest piece of clothing was a light blue shirt that Neil still doubted would ever lose its tags.

He also finally made use of the apartment's shower. He had no way of knowing the actual quality of the water pressure, but compared to the motel showers he had been using for the past months, and the lack of anything for the past few days, it felt like heaven. He did his best to scrub his hair thoroughly so that Kevin would stop complaining, although he doubted it made any difference. Either way, he could probably afford to keep his natural hair color now that he was in the Courtyard.

After the shower he changed clothes, making sure to transfer his possessions back into his pockets, and then headed down to the Liaison Office. He was around twenty minutes early, but Nicky was already there, leaning against the counter and seemingly in an animated conversation with the Crows that had perched by an open window.

“Here he is!” Nicky said as Neil arrived.

One of the Crows cawed loudly, and Nicky laughed. “I know it's ugly, but Kevin says it's hair dye.” The Crow cawed again, and Nicky turned to Neil. “They think your hair is very dull. Human hair is usually shinier than that.”

“I'm sorry?”

The Crow did not look impressed with his apology.

“Maybe they’ll warm up to you once it’s gone,” Nicky told him. “Anyway, you’ll be on your own this morning, but you can always come over to the bookstore and get Kevin if something goes wrong. There might be a few more drivers today since there’s a human back in the office, but you’ll still follow the same routine. Renee said she’d have Katelyn bring you lunch.”

Nicky headed to the door, pausing just before he left and wagging a finger at the Crows. “Be nice to him; we can’t lose him on the second day.”

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Neil to face what felt like his first real day of work.

Neil looked up at the Crows silently. They didn’t look particularly supernatural. Maybe slightly bigger than normal, but that might just be because he’d never taken the time to truly observe a crow before now. Nicky had been talking to them, but did that mean they could shift like the other _terra indigene_? Or were they more similar to the ponies?

One of the Crows hopped forward a little on the window ledge so that it was practically inside the office. It cocked its head, still staring straight at Neil. Did normal crows do that? Were crows supposed to be scared of humans, or did these birds view humans as prey just like the Others? He didn’t really see what damage a Crow could do, but he also didn’t want to underestimate them.

Eventually, he just decided to ignore them. If they were shifters, then they could make themselves known if they felt like it. He had work to do.

Neil set about preparing for the day. He placed the clipboard from yesterday near the front of the counter and grabbed a pen to draw some quick columns on the blank sheet of paper. The Others didn’t really seem to have a way for organizing things, but he wanted at least some record that he was doing his job. He settled on making four columns, one for the date, company name, time delivered, and a signature from the driver. He doubted the Others would stop to check for a signature confirming delivery if they suspected him of stealing, but it never hurt to be safe. Plus, if he kept a careful enough record of the drivers that came in and out of the office, he might be able to notice if anyone didn’t belong.

A sudden flurry of movement made him jump, but it was only one of the Crows flying fully inside the office to land on the counter. It perched about a foot away from Neil, staring at him with sharp eyes. Surely normal crows didn’t watch people like that.

Neil finally gave in. “I don’t know what you want.” At least if they were regular crows, no one was around to hear him talking to birds.

The Crow hopped forward until it was practically sitting on the clipboard and bent down to grasp the pen with its beak. It looked back up at him, and it shouldn’t have been possible for a bird to look so smug.

“You wanted the pen? You can’t even do anything with it.”

The Crow waddled to the edge of the counter and opened its break, letting the pen clatter to the floor. They both stared down at it for a moment.

“What did that achieve?” Neil asked, but the Crow didn’t have an answer.

He bent down and grabbed the pen, placing it back on the clipboard. Almost immediately, it was back in the Crow’s mouth. This time when the Crow dropped the pen, it rolled along the counter before coming to a stop a few feet away. The Crow looked at him expectantly.

Neil placed the pen back on the clipboard, and the third time it happened, it finally began to sink in. He was playing fetch with a bird. This was what his life had come to.

“If you’re going to play with that one all day, at least let me get another one for people to sign with.”

There didn’t appear to be any more pens in the front office, so Neil went back into the storage room to look around. The boxes full of packages and mail still took up most of the room, but there were a few cabinets on the back wall that might prove fruitful.

The first one yielded up nothing but some rubber bands and what appeared to be a box of expired peanuts. The second held a large stack of Manilla folders that appeared to be dated from the nineties. In the third cabinet, Neil finally found a black pen tucked behind several empty picture frames.

He grabbed the pen and reentered the office, only to stop short at the sight that awaited him. There was a man crouched on the floor on Neil’s side of the counter trying, and failing, to push his arm through the gap formed by the counter and the wall. He was so engaged in his task that he didn’t seem to hear Neil come back in. He also seemed to be lacking any and all clothing.

“What the fuck?”

“The pen fell between the counter and the wall,” the man said, not looking up from his search. “I couldn’t get it out.” He had a French accent. It was almost too surreal to question.

“What are you-”

“This isn’t working,” the man sighed, standing up and turning to face Neil. He was indeed fully naked. It was beginning to become a trend that Neil could very gladly go without. “Do you have a stick?”

“I- a stick?”

“To get the pen out,” the man spoke slowly, as if Neil were stupid. “Unless you have a better way.”

Neil did not, in fact, have a better way, and the man seemed to realize this. “Jenkins,” he shouted to one of the two Crows that still remained by the window. “Get a stick.”

The Crow obediently flew off and returned a moment later with a large stick in its beak. It dropped the stick by Neil’s feet, and both it and the man looked at him expectantly.

Maybe Neil was going insane. Maybe California had been too much, and he had hallucinated his entire journey to the Courtyard and subsequent hiring. Maybe he’d never left the compound at all, and this was his brain’s only way of escaping reality.

Neil picked up the stick and began to poke it into the gap between the counter and the wall, finding the pen after only a few seconds and carefully dragging it out into the open. The man snatched it up immediately, placing it back into his mouth as he shifted back into the large Crow that Neil had been playing with before. He fluttered back to his previous position, met Neil’s eyes, and dropped the pen back down onto the countertop.

“I do have a job to do, you know,” Neil told him. “I wasn’t just hired to entertain you.”

The Crow cawed petulantly.

Neil glanced at the Crow and then at the pen. “This is the last time, okay? Then you can play with it on your own.”

\---

Half an hour later, Neil was kneeling behind the counter, using the stick to pry the pen free for the third time, when he heard the small tinkle of the bell that signaled someone entering the office. He scrambled to his feet, brushing off his shirt and trying to look like he hadn’t been following the wordless commands of a bird.

“Neil!” Wymack said, smiling. “Good to see you’re still here.”

“It’s only my second day.”

“I’ve known a few liaisons who didn’t make it through their first.”

He approached the counter, and Neil grabbed the clipboard to give to him. He reached for the second pen he had brought out, only to find an empty space. Neil glanced towards the window, where the two Crows were very carefully not looking at him.

“Sorry,” he said, “I might need to find you a pen.”

Wymack waved off his apology. “That’s fine. I can unload the boxes while you do that and sign that afterward.”

As soon as Wymack was gone, Neil glared at the Crows. “You can’t just steal all of the pens,” he hissed, trying to keep his voice low so Wymack wouldn’t think he was talking to himself. “Give it back.”

The Crow that had originally fetched the stick, Jenkins, the man had called it, turned so that its back was facing Neil.

“Are you giving me the silent treatment? That’s- you’re Crows!”

The Crow on the counter hopped to the edge and peered down at the gap. It looked back up at Neil and cawed once. Neil wondered how none of them had been eaten yet.

“I’m getting it out of there,” Neil said, “but not for you, okay? This is for Wymack.”

He knelt back down and went to work with the stick again, freeing the pen just as Wymack returned.

“Sorry for the delay,” Neil said, handing over the pen and glaring at the Crows out of the corner of his eye.

“You can take as long as you want as long as you stick around,” Wymack replied, jotting down his signature and handing the clipboard back. “The hazard pay of delivering here is great and all, but I feel a lot better with a human manning the office.”

He turned to go, pausing as he reached the door. “You be safe, alright Neil? No job is worth your life.”

He left before Neil could formulate a reply, leaving him sitting in silence with the Crows.

It seemed strange, that Wymack would be so concerned about his safety. Maybe the older man truly did just want a human to greet him each morning. It would probably be inconvenient for him if something were to happen to Neil. But the warning about the job ran contrary to that assumption. If Wymack was only concerned with Neil performing his duties, he would want Neil to keep the job no matter what. So what was the point of his concern?

The Crow pecked at his fingers, dragging Neil from his thoughts.

“You should work on your patience,” Neil told it.

It still felt strange talking to the Crow, even after seeing it transform into a man. It was even stranger to still be referring to it as ‘the Crow’ in his head.

“What’s your name, anyway? Do you have one?”

The Crow’s body began to flex and writhe, and a second later the man was back, crouched on the counter and still as naked as ever. “My name is Jean. You hog the pen too much.”

“The pen isn’t for you; it’s for the drivers!”

“They should bring their own. These ones are ours.”

“Pens are made to be written with. Not to throw on the ground just because you’re bored.”

“Do humans use everything as it was meant to be used? Is hair dye meant to be used like that?”

“You can turn back into a Crow anytime you want,” Neil told him.

“I’m always a Crow,” Jean said smugly. “But sometimes I want to use this face and sometimes I use the other. It’s too bad that you’re stuck with just that one.”

Neil wondered if the Courtyard took an ‘an attack against one is an attack against all’ sort of stance or if Kevin would look the other way if he strangled the man. Crow. Other.

“You don’t have to stay in the office, you know. Aren’t there Crow things for you to be doing?”

“I am doing Crow things,” Jean said, and before Neil could respond he was morphing back into a Crow.

Jean looked up at Neil expectantly, nudging the pen with one clawed foot. Neil stared at him for a moment. He moved just like a Crow, ruffled his feathers and twitched his head like any other bird, but something in his beady black eyes made it impossible to ignore that he was more than just an animal. Somehow that didn’t make Neil feel any better about having a stare down with a Crow.

Neil sighed, silently admitting defeat, and tossed the pen down the counter so that Jean could flap after it. They played for about another twenty minutes before the door opened again, and Neil snatched the pen up so that Jean couldn’t steal it.

The man who entered looked hesitant at first, but his expression cleared when he saw Neil standing behind the counter.

“Wymack said the Courtyard had a human again, but I wasn’t sure if you’d last the day,” he said, approaching the counter and handing over his clipboard. “I’ve got a pretty big backlog from the past few weeks.”

“You can fill this out and then unload them in the back,” Neil said, signing the clipboard and then pushing both it and his own handmade form over to the man.

“Do you think you’ll be sticking around?” the man asked as he began to write down his company name. “It’d sure as hell make all of our jobs a lot easier.”

“I don’t have any plans on leaving right away.” He would move on before his father’s men found him, but there was no need to dash the driver’s hopes so quickly.

“I know a lot of people who’ll be happy to hear that,” the man said, passing back the clipboard. “I’ll go ahead and unload all the deliveries. Good luck with keeping the job.”

He tipped his hat on his way out the door, and once he was gone Neil rolled the pen back over to Jean. “See? When you’re patient, we can start playing again sooner.”

Jean’s caw didn’t seem particularly impressed, but Neil chose to believe that the bird understood the point.

One last driver came at 11:30, expressing the same relief that the other had at having a human back in the office. He had apparently also been avoiding the Courtyard for the past few weeks, and Neil got the feeling that he was going to have a lot more packages to sort over the coming days. Jean and the other two Crows left at about the same time the driver did, apparently bored of watching Neil work.

At 12:00, just when Neil was flipping the sign on the street-facing entrance to closed, someone knocked on the back door. Neil opened it to see one of the human waitresses from A Little Bite holding a tray with a sandwich and some chips. His stomach rumbled at the sight, reminding him once again that the only real meal he’d had over the past few days had been the soup from yesterday.

“I’m Katelyn,” she said, walking with him back into the front office and placing the tray on the counter. “Renee sent me over with some lunch; she thought you might not get the chance to leave the office with all of the packages that must be coming through.”

“Thanks,” Neil said, immediately starting in on the chips.

Instead of leaving as Neil had expected, she leaned against the counter and looked him up and down. It didn’t have the predatory air that the Others always seemed to have when they did that. Her gaze was more curious than anything.

“So how are you liking the job so far?” It didn’t sound like the question she wanted to ask.

“It’s fine. I’ve only been here for a day.”

Neil took a large bite of the sandwich. Maybe if she realized he was eating, she wouldn’t try to continue the conversation.

“Are you from around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you at A Little Bite before yesterday.” No luck.

“I moved recently,” Neil said carefully.

He needed to keep things as vague as possible without arousing suspicion. Katelyn seemed nice enough, but money could make nice people into informants in an instant.

“Oh really? Where from?”

“Nevada.” It wasn’t quite a lie; his mother and he had spent a few months there once.

“Oh, wow! I’ve never been anywhere that far west. Did you like it there?”

“It was fine.”

Katelyn was either completely oblivious to Neil’s lack of enthusiasm, or she was willing to let her curiosity outweigh social conventions. “So why work in a Courtyard? You don’t look like the thrill-seeking type, no offense.”

Neil shrugged. “I needed a job.”

“Yeah, but there are lots of jobs out there where getting eaten isn’t an occupational hazard.”

“Why do you work here?”

Katelyn’s cheeks pinkened slightly. “It’s close to my apartment, so it’s convenient. And the pay is really good; better than what I made as a waitress.”

That didn’t sound like the whole story, but Neil, at least, wasn’t going to pry. Maybe Katelyn would take the hint and do the same.

“It must be different though, working with Kevin,” Katelyn said. “Renee is really sweet, but I think she’s more of an exception than the rule. And even then, we know not to make her angry. I think if Kevin were my boss, I would quit within the first week.”

“My first week isn’t over yet.”

Katelyn laughed as if Neil had made some sort of joke. “Your odds are looking good so far. Renee liked you, at least. And I heard you survived a morning with Andrew. He usually doesn’t even bother to learn the names of the human employees; I’ve worked here for the past four months and I don’t think he knows I exist.”

“I’m not sure that attention from Andrew is something to be happy about.”

Katelyn’s smile faltered slightly. “Andrew can be…difficult. He didn’t threaten you, did he?”

“Would anything happen to him if he did?”

Katelyn wasn’t smiling at all anymore. “No one works here because it’s easy, Neil. You just have to figure out the best way to survive. The most important part is remembering that the Others aren’t human, even if they look like it sometimes. Most of them don’t look at us as people. We’re helpful, or entertaining, or we taste good. You need to figure out the purpose you serve so that you can make sure you don’t ever stop fulfilling it.”

Most of them, Katelyn had said. Was the exception Renee? She had seemed nice enough at the café yesterday.

“I sign off for packages,” Neil said. “I don’t think I’m indispensable.”

“Then make yourself indispensable. Renee doesn’t keep me on because I make good coffee; she keeps me on because I comfort the other humans enough for them to keep coming back. Why do you think the Courtyard needs a Human Liaison in the first place? None of the drivers would even stop long enough to deliver their packages when an Other was in charge. Prove that you’re a good investment.”

Katelyn glanced at her watch and jumped a little. “Oh, I should probably get back to work soon.” She gathered up the now empty tray and plate. “Don’t be afraid to reach out, Neil. It can get lonely here for a human. Remember that you’ve got someone on your side; I’m here to answer any questions you might have.”

‘On his side’ seemed like a stretch, but Neil could at least take advantage of her friendliness in one sense. “Is there a place in the Courtyard where I can buy groceries?”

“Honestly, I would go beyond the Courtyard’s boundaries for that. But if you have to go somewhere here, there’s a small place across from the general store. Just don’t order the special meat.”

With that, Katelyn left back through the door, waving goodbye as she did so. Neil watched her go, considering. She had seemed genuine. So did Wymack. All of the humans at the Courtyard seemed so genuine, but if his mother had taught him anything, it was that everyone had a motive. What was Katelyn’s? Was she lonely? Curious? Eager for another human to mess up and take the pressure off of her?

At least one part of her advice had been sound. He would never make it if he had nothing to offer, and that meant actually doing his job, not just standing around and contemplating his survival. Neil walked back into the storage room, pausing in the doorway and looking around. Yesterday afternoon had done almost nothing to remediate the mess; if anything, the packages from all of the drivers who had just started coming to the Courtyard again meant he had even more to do today. He started with the easiest task, sorting the mail according to Gard.

After sorting the mail into different piles, Neil turned back to the packages. He still wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do with all of them. If the ponies only took letters, and Neil wasn't allowed into the Inner Courtyard, they would just continue to pile up.

 _Make yourself indispensable_ , Katelyn had said. He didn’t feel very indispensable, standing here amidst piles of boxes with no real way of doing anything about them.

But standing around did nothing, so he got started on one of the largest looking piles in the back. A thin layer of dust had formed over the top box, and when he began to unstack them, he could find absolutely no rhyme or reason to their organization. Every package seemed to be from a different company, addressed to a different person, and delivered at a different date. He tried organizing them according to general addressee, the names beginning to blur together until _Kevin Day_ jumped out.

Neil paused, taking a closer look. The package was addressed to Kevin Day, with Howling Good Reads printed neatly beneath it. All of the other packages had been addressed to specific Gards, which meant this was probably something specifically work-related. It was dated to almost two months ago.

Neil wasn’t allowed in the Inner Courtyard, but he had already been to Howling Good Reads multiple times before. There was no reason he couldn’t go ahead and deliver it; it wasn’t like he had anything better to do here. Kevin might even be pleased, although Neil had a hard time imagining Kevin pleased with anything.

His decision made, Neil grabbed the package and headed out of the Liaison Office, locking the door behind him to be safe. Howling Good Reads was relatively busy when he arrived, with humans wandering between the shelves of books and whispering amongst themselves. Most of them seemed to be trying to take covert glances at the cash register, where Kevin looked bored out of his mind.

Maybe the hair dye really did smell bad, because Kevin zeroed in on him the moment Neil entered the shop. He didn’t look incredibly happy to see him, but maybe that was just his face.

Neil pushed his way through the customers, none of whom seemed to be making any actual purchases, and came to a stop in front of him.

“What are you doing here?” Kevin demanded. “Did something happen at the office?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Neil said quickly. “I just wanted to give you this. It was delivered a while ago and looks like it might be important.”

He placed the package on the counter and Kevin frowned down at it. “I ordered this months ago.”

“It might have gotten lost amongst all the other deliveries. Things are pretty chaotic in the storeroom.”

Kevin looked back up at Neil, still frowning. “How many packages are there right now?”

“Too many to count. I think whoever worked in the office before I did was just letting them pile up in there. I’ve been trying to sort through them, but there’s no place to put them once I’m done.”

Kevin sighed. “They are only going to keep piling up.” He paused and stared at Neil intently. Neil fought the urge to fidget under his gaze. “I would have to give you a pass to the Inner Courtyard if you were going to deliver them. Humans do not usually get those.”

“I’m not asking you for one. I’m just telling you the current situation at the office.”

Kevin’s frown only deepened.

“You understand what it would mean if I gave you a pass,” he said at last. “You would be allowed into the Inner Courtyard, but you would still be responsible for being safe. If you look like you are snooping around or doing something you are not supposed to, the Others will not stop and check for a pass.”

“I just want to do my job. I won’t linger.”

Finally, Kevin seemed to give in. “I will have Nicky bring you a pass and instructions tomorrow morning. For now, just do what you can.”

Kevin didn’t seem inclined to say anything else, so Neil took that as a dismissal and returned to the Liaison Office. The ponies were waiting when he got back; two more had joined their ranks since yesterday.

Twister snorted and stamped his hoof at the sight of Neil. It seemed like all sorts of animals were impatient with him today.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, entering the storeroom and grabbing the pile of mail addressed to the Wolf Complex.

He placed the pile in Twister’s basket, and then divvied the rest of the piles up amongst the other ponies. The additional two ponies’ baskets were labeled as “Crowgard” and “Green Complex,” so Neil was able to take care of some of the mail addressed there from yesterday as well. After he was done, Twister continued to stare at him expectantly.

“That’s all the mail,” Neil told him. “I don’t have anything else for you.”

Twister stamped his hoof again. A small breeze ruffled up Neil’s hair as the pony snorted his displeasure. A second later, it clicked.

“You want a sugar cube?”

The wind died down.

“I really shouldn’t spoil you,” Neil sighed, but he was already retrieving the box of sugar cubes and carefully picking out one for each pony. Maybe when he went to the grocery store he could buy some apples to make sure he didn’t give the Courtyard ponies heart disease.

The ponies left soon after receiving their reward, leaving Neil alone with the packages. He did his best to begin sorting them, forming large piles in each corner based off where they were addressed to, much like he had organized the mail. It seemed more manageable, knowing that he would be able to start delivering them soon.

Neil wasn’t sure how long he worked, but by the time he was done, most of the ambient light had disappeared. The clock on the wall said that he had stayed past 4:00, but he probably still had time to stop by the grocery store Katelyn had mentioned.

Neil followed the same process Nicky had shown him the day before, turning off all of the lights and making sure that every door into the office was locked. It felt strange, suddenly being responsible for so much. The keys alone were a big change; soon he would have a pass into the Inner Courtyard. In a few minutes, he would be buying groceries. Real groceries, for possibly the first time in his life. He could cook himself dinner. He could buy a recipe book if he was so inclined.

He knew he had to be careful not to get too attached. The Courtyard was a good place to catch his breath, but he couldn’t stay there forever. His father always caught up eventually; it was better not to form attachments. But tonight, just for a few hours, it was nice to pretend that he could build something. Nice to pretend there was something worth building.


	5. Chapter 5

Nicky was deep in conversation with Jean when Neil entered the next morning, although the latter was still very much in Crow form. Nicky looked up as he entered, beaming, and hopped off the counter to greet Neil.

“First Andrew doesn’t kill you, and now Kevin’s given you a pass to the Inner Courtyard! Even Jean says you’re not bad for a human. You must have the magic touch.”

Neil didn’t really think he had the magic anything, but he didn’t argue with Nicky’s generous portrayal of his charm. Nicky showed him a small laminated card and placed it on the counter next to the clipboard. It looked pretty unimpressive, given the weight it held. His father would probably kill for a pass to the Inner Courtyard.

“He also told me to give you this.” Nicky placed a small piece of paper on top of the pass. Someone had carefully sketched out a map of the Courtyard in black pen, every small box that represented a building neatly labeled, with the lines of the roads drawn so perfectly they must have needed a ruler. “You have to be careful with this. Even more careful than with the pass. If someone has a pass but doesn’t belong, we can still just eat them. A map of the Courtyard is a lot rarer. A lot more dangerous.”

It felt like a big leap of trust, especially when Neil didn’t think Kevin liked him all that much. Was it a test? Maybe Kevin had given him a fake, just to see what he did with it. But then none of the packages would be delivered to the right place, which seemed a little counterintuitive.

“This will probably be the last morning I’m in here to greet you. It seems like you’ve gotten the hang of things anyway; I doubt you’ll need my help. If you do, just tell Jean and he’ll come get me.”

Jean cawed once, but Neil had no idea if it was in agreement or a protest.

“I’ll stop by after lunch to show you how to make the deliveries, and then you should be all set.”

Nicky clapped Neil on the back and headed over to the door. “You should be proud of yourself! Most liaisons don’t even get this far.”

He probably intended for it to be more comforting than it was.

Jean waited until Neil had set up everything for the drivers before he lay claim to the pen. Neil felt like he should protest being used as a free form of entertainment, but he didn’t really have anything else to do until the drivers arrived, so he willingly played the Crow’s makeshift game of fetch until the front door opened. This time, Jean was kind enough to let the pen go before Wymack approached.

“Good to see you, Neil,” Wymack said, exchanging clipboards with him and filling out Neil’s form quickly. “The office treating you well?”

“I can’t complain.”

Probably literally, given that Jean was there to listen if Neil tried badmouthing his employers. Not that he particularly wanted to.

“That’s always a relief to hear.”

Wymack took back his clipboard and nodded at Neil and then Jean. Neil wondered if he knew for sure that Jean was an Other or if he was just courteous to all animals in the Courtyard as a precaution. Jean, whose attention had once again been stolen by the pen, didn’t seem to notice either way.

Neil was beginning to recognize some of the drivers that showed up, and those that he didn’t were quick to introduce themselves. The morning passed quickly, and Neil didn’t realize that it was 12 until Katelyn appeared with another sandwich from the café. She didn’t linger this time, citing a lunch rush, so Neil ate alone. He had gotten groceries the night before, but he still didn’t have much experience with cooking and had erred on the side of mostly frozen foods. The sandwich was far better than the pot pie he had somehow managed to burn in the microwave.

As promised, Nicky showed up just as Neil was finishing eating. He led Neil to a small one-story building behind the office, unlocking the large garage door and then handing the key to Neil when he was done. Inside the building, rows of small vehicles were plugged into the outlets in the walls.

“We call them BOWs,” Nicky said. “Boxes on wheels.”

It was an accurate description. The vehicles were smaller than most cars Neil had seen, with two small seats in the front and the rest of the space devoted to a cargo area. The interior still resembled a car, though, and Neil’s mother had taught him to drive relatively early on in their years on the run. He doubted he would have much trouble operating one.

“They run on electricity,” Nicky continued, “so just make sure you plug yours in when you’re not using it.”

“Mine?”

“You can use any of them really.” Nicky tossed Neil yet another key. “They’re mostly used for small deliveries, so one key fits all. Do you still have the map I gave you?”

Neil nodded, pulling it from his pocket and unfolding it.

“The roads are pretty easy to follow. For most of the complexes, there are either numbered apartments or mail rooms. Just be careful when you reach the Chambers. The iron fences aren’t for decoration; never cross that boundary without permission.”

“Why?”

“The _Sanguinati_ don’t take kindly to trespassers. The fact that you’re delivering a package won’t necessarily prevent you from becoming their next snack. Just leave the packages in the mailboxes outside the gates.”

Neil thought of his handshake with Andrew and suppressed a shiver.

Nicky stayed just long enough to make sure Neil understood how to control the BOW and then left him to make his deliveries. Neil studied the map for a moment, trying to decide on the best route.

The Wolf Complex seemed to be closest, and Neil figured it was probably the safest as well. At least most of the Wolves already seemed to be aware of his new status as the Human Liaison. There would be less of a chance of mistaken identities, and therefore less of a chance of him getting eaten.

If he followed the road to the Wolf Complex, it would eventually lead him to the Corvine and the Chambers as well, so Neil loaded up all of the packages addressed to those locations in the back of the BOW and set off. The BOW was relatively easy to operate, easier than the cars Neil had driven, but he drove slowly to make sure the snow on the roads wasn’t hiding any ice.

After about ten minutes of careful driving along the road demarcated by Kevin’s map, an apartment building came into view. It didn’t look all that impressive, for a building that housed some of the world’s most dangerous predators. It was designed so that each apartment’s door faced the exterior, with two stories and a balcony that wrapped around the second floor much like an outdoor hallway.

There was a small parking lot to the left of the apartments, so Neil pulled the BOW in there and parked as close to the building as possible. There were only two other BOWs in the lot, but Neil guessed that Wolves didn’t have much of a need for vehicles.

Each apartment was labeled with brass numbers on the door, which led to somewhat of a problem. A few of the packages Neil had for the Wolf Complex included apartment numbers on the address, but the majority just included names. Maybe the Others just assumed anyone delivering packages would be familiar with who was who, but that didn’t help Neil. He began to sort through the packages to find the ones that did have numbers on them when he got the sudden feeling that he was being watched.

Neil glanced behind him and nearly fell back into the BOW at the sight of two figures who had somehow silently appeared a foot away.

“Jesus!”

Neither of them seemed at all fazed by his surprise.

“You’re Neil, right?”

It was the woman from yesterday, the one who appeared to lead the rest of the Wolves who had come to watch him in the café. This time only one of them accompanied her, the less-angry man. Both of them were looking at him with more curiosity than aggression.

“Yeah, I’m the new Human Liaison,” Neil said as soon as his heart stopped pounding quite so hard. “Kevin told me I should deliver these packages. He gave me a pass if you need to-”

“We don’t need to see the pass.” She waved him off. “Just wanted to introduce ourselves. I’m Dan, and this is Matt.” She gestured to the man beside her. “You’re the first Human Liaison Kevin’s let come into the Inner Courtyard. How’d you get him to like you so fast?”

“I don’t think he likes me. I think he finds me annoying.”

“Kevin finds everyone annoying,” Matt said. “He still doesn’t let humans in the Inner Courtyard.”

Neil shrugged uncomfortably. “I didn’t do anything. I think he was just tired of nobody’s packages getting delivered.”

 “Everybody’s tired of that. I’ve been waiting for a book I ordered from the library for the past two weeks.” Dan leaned forward, trying to take a peek at the pile of packages in Neil’s hands. “Do you have anything addressed to Dan Wilds in there?”

“Or Matt Boyd,” Matt added.

There ended up being two packages for Dan and one for Matt, leaving Neil with only four more addressed to the Wolf Complex.

“That’s Allison’s,” Matt said, pointing to one of the larger packages. “She’ll want that delivered as soon as possible. We can take you straight to her apartment, so you don’t have to figure out the numbers.”

“No, it’s fine, I can just-”

“She wants to meet you too,” Dan interrupted. “She’s just as curious as the rest of us; she’ll be furious if she finds out she missed you. Here, I can take the rest of the packages and Matt can take you to her apartment. That way you won’t waste any time.”

Neil hesitated. Dan and Matt seemed genuine, but he had no way of knowing if they were telling the truth. Maybe Dan wanted to take the packages to sabotage him. Maybe Matt was just going to take him somewhere private to eat him. They could always tell Kevin that they hadn’t seen the pass.

“Neil,” Dan said, placing a hand on top of the remaining packages in his hand. “Kevin likes you. Or at least, he tolerates you enough to let you come here. Andrew’s already met you. We want our turn.”

Neil glanced between Dan and Matt. Even ignoring the fact that they were Wolves, they were both easily bigger than him. There was no way he would beat them in a fight and running would probably keep him alive for an additional five seconds before they caught him. Plus, Kevin was the second in command. Surely that had to mean something; maybe they would refrain from killing him out of respect.

“I don’t have much time,” he said at last. “I still have to make deliveries to the rest of the Courtyard.”

Matt beamed. “We’ll make it quick. Come on, I’ll take you there now.”

He turned and began to climb the exterior staircase of the apartments, leaving Neil with no choice but to follow.

The staircase led to a balcony that had access to four doorways. Matt stopped at the third one and began to pound on the door so forcefully that Neil was worried he might break it.

“Chill the fuck out, I’m coming!” A voice shouted from within, and a second later the door was whipped open to reveal an irate looking woman. Neil recognized her from the café, too, she was the bored one with the blond hair. “This better be important Matt, I swear to-”

She stopped abruptly at the sight of Neil, the expression of anger on her face transforming into a delighted smile. “Oh, it’s the little, lost human! I’m surprised you haven’t left yet; I heard Kevin yelling at Andrew for traumatizing you on your first day.”

“I have your package,” Neil said in lieu of a response, holding out the box.

“Aw, you’re actually doing your job. That’s adorable.”

Neil glanced back at Matt. Was he supposed to go anything else? With the package delivered, he didn’t see the point of sticking around, but Matt just smiled at him, making no move back towards the stairs.

“I see what Kevin meant,” Allison said. “He does smell strange.”

“It’s the hair dye,” Neil said. “It’ll come out soon.”

Allison, unlike Andrew, seemed to accept the excuse. “Why would you dye your hair such an ugly color anyway? Hair dye is one of the few things humans have made that’s worthwhile, and you go and use it like that? It’s honestly shameful.”

Neil wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to that, but Allison didn’t seem bothered by his silence.

“You’re cuter than the last liaison was. And you actually do your job; no wonder Kevin likes you. So why would you want to work in a Courtyard? Latent death wish?”

Neil shrugged uncomfortably. “I needed a job.”

“And no human would hire you? What’s wrong with you?”

“Don’t be mean to him,” Matt chided. “He only just got here, and Renee likes him.”

“Renee likes everyone. Renee likes _Andrew_.”

“This had the best pay,” Neil said, although he had no idea if that was true. “And I just moved here, so the housing was convenient.”

Allison considered him for a moment, pursing her lips. “That’s a very boring reason. I hope you’re not a boring human, Neil; those are hardly ever worth keeping around.”

“I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”

This response seemed to please Allison a little bit more. “Well, you’ve got at least a hint of a spine. I’ll be seeing you around, Neil. Try not to die before my Sephora order comes in; I cannot wait another month for someone to deliver my packages.”

She closed the door, and Matt led Neil back down the stairs to where Dan waited by the BOW.

“I think she liked you,” Matt said as they walked. “As much as Allison likes anyone when she first meets them. Just be glad Seth wasn’t there.”

“Seth?”

They had reached the BOW, and Dan answered for Matt. “Allison’s dickhead on-again off-again boyfriend. I think they’re off right now, so he’s been avoiding the apartments.”

“They’ll be back on by the end of the week,” Matt told Neil. “You’ll probably meet him next time you deliver a package.”

“Thanks for all your help,” Neil said, climbing back into the BOW.

“Thanks for actually doing your job,” Dan replied. “Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of you, Neil.”

Neil wasn’t planning on staying in the Courtyard long enough for them to really get to know each other, but there was no need to tell them that. Instead, he just waved goodbye and pulled back into the road. Next was the Corvine, which was only a three-minute drive away.

The Corvine consisted of a large, three-story U-shaped building, with small patios and balconies lining nearly every exterior wall. Several Crows perched on the roof, watching him as he exited the BOW, but Neil couldn’t tell if he’d met them before. He waved anyway, just to be safe.

The Corvine had its own mailroom with conveniently labeled slots for packages, so it only took Neil a few minutes to place all the packages in the correct cubby. One of the Crows cawed after him as he left, but it was impossible to tell whether the caw was pleased or not.

The Chambers were the last stop on Neil’s list for the day. They were an even shorter drive than the Corvine had been, and impossible to miss. Several white marble buildings that resembled mausoleums more than anything sat surrounded by an intricately designed iron gate. Clouds of mist, or maybe smoke, hovered just within the boundaries of the gates and beside the marble buildings. A row of mailboxes stood just outside the gates, just as Nicky had said. Neil unloaded the rest of his packages and was just about to walk over to it when he stopped short.

One of the clouds of smoke had floated beyond the boundaries of the gates to hover a foot in front of Neil. The air seemed to flicker around it for a moment, and then suddenly it was a man. For a moment Neil thought it might be Andrew; they both had the same blonde hair and hazel eyes, but this one’s face was just a touch too narrow and there was no recognition in his eyes when he looked at Neil. At least, Neil thought through the fear, he knew how Andrew had gotten into his apartment without a key that first morning.

The man considered him for a moment, his eyes lingering on Neil’s neck for far longer than was comforting. When he spoke, he sounded almost exactly like Andrew. “The Human Liaison. You’ve wandered pretty far beyond your territory, haven’t you?”

The man moved closer as he spoke, inhaling deeply.

Neil’s grip on the packages tightened and he did his best to lean away subtly. “I have a pass.”

“Do you?” That information didn’t seem to matter to the man; he just kept approaching until there was less than an inch between them.

“Kevin gave it to me. To deliver packages.”

“Oh, Kevin gave it to you. Well, of course it’s alright if Kevin gave it to you.” The man shifted back slightly, but the predatory gleam remained in his eyes. “I’m being rude, aren’t I? My name is Aaron.”

He held out his hand expectantly. Neil kept his grip on the packages, refusing to give in to the bait. One experience with Andrew’s hands had been enough.

“My name is Neil.”

Aaron’s sneer deepened. “What’s the matter, Neil? You seem uncomfortable.”

“Should I be?”

“Not as long as you remember who’s in charge.” Aaron gave up on the façade and tried to grab at Neil’s exposed wrist.

Neil just barely dodged, stumbling back and nearly tripping over his own feet. Aaron followed after him, reaching out, when an authoritative voice suddenly cut through the air.

“Stop.”

Both Neil and Aaron turned to the source of the voice. Andrew stood in the threshold of the gates, watching the two of them with cold eyes.

Aaron glared at Andrew but withdrew his hand. “I was just introducing myself.”

“You shouldn’t get too interested in humans, Aaron; it could be bad for their health.”

Aaron flinched back, taking a few steps away from Neil. “I just wanted to know what he was doing here.”

“His hands are full of packages; is it not obvious?”

“It could have been an excuse,” Aaron grumbled.

“I’m sure the Chambers can survive the invasion of one human if Neil ever decides he doesn’t value his life.” Andrew finally left the shadow of the Chambers, drifting forward and coming to a stop a foot or so away from Neil. “So, Kevin gave you a pass to the Inner Courtyard.”

“He wanted everyone to get their packages as soon as possible. There’s a huge backlog at the office.”

“And you offered to take care of it out of the goodness of your heart, I suppose.”

Neil shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s my job.”

“Still taking a lot of initiative. Are you hoping for employee of the month?”

“Do you want your packages or not?” Neil snapped. “If not, I can tell Kevin that you’re boycotting the Liaison Office because, what, you don’t like it when people do their jobs?”

“You’ve gained a lot of confidence since our first meeting. Don’t let the Crows spoil you; just because they find you entertaining doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”

“I’m just trying to do my job,” Neil replied steadily.

“Then by all means, do it.” Andrew stepped back and gestured towards the row of mailboxes. “I look forward to watching you work.”

Neil stared at him for a moment and then forced himself to turn his back on Andrew and Aaron. He approached the wall of mailboxes and looked carefully at each name, ignoring the prickling at the back of his neck as he began the process of sorting out the different packages. It felt like it took ages to get through the pile of packages, especially when he had to resist looking back at his audience. He didn’t even know if they were still there. Maybe Andrew had gotten bored and left the moment Neil turned away. The thought somehow didn’t make him feel any safer.

At long last, he placed the final package in the correct slot. A quick glance behind him revealed that Andrew and Aaron were still in the same place, watching him silently. Neil continued to ignore them and walked back to the BOW. He waited until the engine was on and he was just about to leave before he turned back towards them one last time. He gave Andrew the most sarcastic salute he could manage, stepping on the gas before the gesture was even finished.

Neither of them moved to follow, but through the rearview mirror, he could see Andrew’s lips turning up in what was either a smile or a snarl. Regardless of the expression, one thing was clear. He had Andrew’s attention. Now all that remained to be seen was whether or not that was a good thing.


	6. Chapter 6

On Neil’s fourth day of work, Wymack finally seemed less surprised to see him still alive. The older man greeted him just as joyfully though. Neil still didn’t know how to respond to someone being that happy to see him. Obviously, Wymack needed him there to do his job, but that didn’t explain his apparent desire for conversation.

“How’d you come upon a job like this anyway?” he asked as he filled out the usual forms.

“The pay is good.” Neil had used the response so many times that he was almost starting to believe it.

“I’d imagine it is, given the environmental hazards. And you enjoy it?”

Neil shrugged. “It’s nothing too complicated.”

“That’s where I’d say most people would disagree with you. But if you find surviving the Others easy, all the more power to you.” Wymack nodded to Jean. “No offense intended, of course.”

Jean cawed at him and began to preen.

“What about you?” Neil asked. Maybe if he redirected the conversation to Wymack, he would stop asking so many questions. “Delivering to the Courtyard must have its own dangers.”

“There’s no denying that. But I’ve found that as long as I get my job done and keep my head down, the Others don’t mind me too much. I’d imagine it’s different, living with them.”

“I guess every neighborhood has its ups and downs,” Neil said. But any neighborhood outside of his father’s reach would always have more ups in his opinion.

“That’s certainly one way of looking at it.” Wymack glanced at the clock. “I better get going if I want to make the rest of my stops in time. Stay safe, Neil.”

Neil flipped the pen in the air for Jean as he listened to the familiar sounds of Wymack unloading his deliveries in the back. A few minutes later, the roar of an engine told him Wymack had left. Neil wasn’t sure, but he thought if he tried hard enough he might be able to recognize the different trucks’ engines’ sounds before long.

Suddenly the door slammed open and Neil jumped, the pen falling from his hands. Jean and the other Crows took off in a flurry of wings and feathers as a furious looking man stormed into the office.

“Does someone care to explain,” he hissed, “why my driver has had to wait on the street for the past ten minutes to take me to my own damn office because the entire entrance was blocked by a truck?”

“I don’t-” Neil began, and immediately decided that speaking had been a mistake when the man’s attention flashed to him.

“Who the hell are you?” the man demanded.

“I’m the new Human Liaison; I-”

“You’re the Human Liaison?” The man stalked up to the counter, leaning over it to snarl directly in Neil’s face. He, like Kevin, was undeniably a Wolf. “That’s funny, I thought the whole reason we let your kind in here was to make things easier. Not cause even more fucking delays!”

Neil couldn’t help but bristle at the accusation. “The trucks have to park in order to drop off the packages. Receiving deliveries is my whole job; I don’t see how you expect me to keep the trucks from stopping there!”

He realized almost instantly that it was a mistake to snap back. The man’s hand shot out and he grabbed Neil by the wrist, hauling him forward so that he was splayed half across the counter. Neil’s stomach collided painfully with the edge of the counter and he fought to draw in breaths as the man twisted his arm at a frighteningly unnatural angle.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re talking to, but it’s definitely not me. This is my territory; every second you’re inside the Courtyard, your life is in my hands. Don’t ever think you’re alive for any reason other than my continued toleration of you.”

‘His territory.’ So that must make this Riko, the elusive Alpha of the Courtyard. If Neil had thought Kevin was a threat, he was nothing compared to this. By this standard, his conversations with Kevin could be considered pleasant. Hell, even Andrew’s first introduction would be preferable to this.

“I apologize,” Neil forced out through gritted teeth, keeping his gaze focused on the counter to avoid the risk of meeting Riko’s eyes. “I didn’t realize the trucks would block your entrance.”

“You didn’t do your fucking job, you mean.”

“I apologize,” Neil repeated.

“Where did Kevin find you anyway? You’d think he would be capable of finding someone with even a semblance of competence to do this job.”

_He clearly doesn’t have a competent leader to go off of_ , Neil wanted to snarl, but he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. Riko wouldn’t hesitate to snap his neck, and he didn’t have to answer to Kevin like the others did.

“Well?” Riko demanded, twisting Neil’s arm even further. “When I ask you a question, you answer.”

“I don’t know why Kevin hired me,” Neil said as steadily as possible. “I applied for the job, and he hired me. I just want to do my job.”

“If you were doing your job, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

“I’ll probably be more capable of doing my job if you let me up.”

For a second Neil thought Riko might break his arm, and then the Other suddenly released him. Neil stumbled back, clutching his arm to his chest and keeping as much distance between himself and Riko as possible. The counter still served as a barrier between them, but he had no doubts that Riko could be over it in an instant if he so chose.

Riko watched him silently for a moment, his brown eyes narrowed in consideration. “Kevin has never been the best judge of character,” he said at last. “But I think I’ll let him figure out his mistake for himself. Maybe when you get yourself killed, he’ll gain a bit of clarity on the issue.”

He abruptly turned and stalked back to the door, pausing in the entrance. “I’d say I’ll be seeing you around, but I doubt you’ll last that long.”

Neil stared at the door for a few minutes after Riko was gone, still frozen. If anyone else had said something like that, it would have sounded so dramatic that it lost all power. When Riko said it, Neil just got the feeling that his lifespan had significantly decreased.

\---

Neil held it together for the rest of the day, smiling for the drivers and delivering packages to the half of the Courtyard he hadn’t gotten to yesterday, but by the time he finally made it back to his apartment he was almost ready to collapse from the stress of constantly looking over his shoulder for an angry Wolf. It probably said something about his day that he didn’t even flinch when he opened his apartment door to find Andrew lounging on his couch, clearly waiting for him.

“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but locks are actually supposed to serve more than a ceremonial purpose.”

Andrew ignored his remark, instead fixing Neil with a considering gaze. “You met Riko today.”

“Yeah.” Neil refused to feel uncomfortable in his own apartment, so he took a seat at the opposite end of the couch, kicking off his shoes and curling his feet beneath his legs. “I don’t think he’s my biggest fan.”

“I can’t imagine why, if you displayed your usual levels of charm.”

“I don’t know why he didn’t go for it; it worked so well on you.”

The corner of Andrew’s mouth tilted up, but it wasn’t a smile. “Riko came by the Chambers today. Very rare, to get a visit from the Courtyard leader. We were all very honored.”

“I don’t know why he wouldn’t go down more often; you’re so welcoming.”

“Do you want to know why he came? He had a very interesting proposition.”

The tone had shifted, somewhere in their conversation, and it was worrying that Neil hadn’t picked up on it sooner. Andrew wasn’t looking at him like he was a mildly annoying nuisance anymore; he was looking at him with something akin to calculation in his eyes. Like he was weighing two options, and Neil got the feeling that one of the options ended up with him dead.

“I’m assuming it had to do with me.”

“Excellent deduction.”

Andrew paused as if waiting for Neil to ask another question, but Neil refused to give him the satisfaction. If Andrew had come to deliver his death sentence, Neil wasn’t going to ask for it.

“The problem with Wolves,” Andrew started, making Neil blink at the sudden change in topic, “is that they rely too much on instinct. Riko is the Alpha, so Kevin follows him. Kevin is the strongest, so the others follow him. And somewhere along the way, Kevin forgot that you follow a leader for a _reason_. He thinks that obeying Riko and looking out for the rest of the pack are the same thing.”

“And you disagree.”

“I don’t usually care either way. The pack, the Courtyard- that’s Kevin’s concern. Hiring a Human Liaison, if it’s for the good of the Courtyard, is his concern as well. If he chose to kill you tomorrow, I wouldn’t give a damn, because I’d know he did what he thought was best for the Courtyard. Kevin is single-minded like that.

“But therein lies the problem. If Kevin kills you, it’s because you’re a threat. If I kill you, it’s because I felt like it. But if Riko comes to the Chambers and tells me that he’d look the other way if I drained you…” Andrew’s mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I have to wonder what’s so important about your death.”

Neil forced his breathing to remain steady, although he was sure the sudden spike in his heartbeat gave away his fear. “You want to know why Riko doesn’t just kill me himself.”

Andrew shrugged. “I have a few suspicions. It might make his work with the human world slightly more complicated if word got around that he killed the humans working for him. Kevin would protest, and I’m sure Riko would much rather have Kevin’s hurt feelings aimed at me than at him. But the real question isn’t really why Riko wants me to kill you.”

There didn’t seem any point in feigning ignorance now. “It’s whether you’re going to do it or not.”

“I knew you had a brain somewhere in there. Too bad it only comes out now, and not when you were deciding whether or not pissing off the Alpha of the Courtyard was a good idea.”

“Do I get a say in the decision-making process, or are you just here because you like to play with your food?”

“If I were you, I’d be saying a lot less right now. Your mouth has a habit of getting you in trouble.”

“I have a bit of an attitude problem.”

“And no survival instincts, apparently. Here’s what’s going to happen.”

Andrew shifted in a sudden flash of movement. One second he was sitting across the couch, and the next he was kneeling over Neil, one hand wrapped around his throat and the other gripping his wrists. Neil kicked out frantically, but Andrew only squeezed tighter, moving in so that Neil was pinned completely against the back of the couch.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to, especially when you can’t even do it well. So I’ll give you one chance to tell me who you really are. One chance to convince me not to kill you right here and now. You have sixty seconds. Think carefully.”

He released Neil’s neck but kept him pinned, and for a second all Neil could do was gasp and try to pull in air through his throbbing throat. He couldn’t tell Andrew the truth. Not when it went against every lesson his mother had ever taught him. But if he wanted to live, he had to at least give the vampire something. Something close enough to the truth that his heartbeat wouldn’t give away the lie.

“I’m running from someone. He- he’s not a threat to you. To the Courtyard. He wouldn’t go against the Others, and I’ll be long gone by the time he finds out I was here. I swear.”

Andrew’s hand moved back to encircle his throat, giving it a warning squeeze. “Try harder, Josten.”

“It’s my father. My mother took me and ran away from him when I was younger. She stole from him. He’s been trying to find us ever since. He- he did find us. A month ago. He killed her.”

Andrew’s lips pulled back in a snarl, his eyes flashing. “I don’t care about your dead mother, Josten. You’re still trying to play games with me. Tell me the truth, the whole truth, or you’ll die here and now. And you might be scared of your father, but I guarantee I can make it hurt worse.”

Andrew couldn’t make it hurt worse. Of that, at least, Neil was certain. But it wouldn’t matter how much it hurt if the end result was him dead, and that was where it looked like this was headed. Andrew wouldn’t be satisfied until Neil told him the whole truth, but could he risk it? Would Andrew even believe him if he did?

And if Andrew did spare him? There was no guarantee he would keep Neil’s secret; he might deliver Neil to his father himself. Or he wouldn’t care, and Riko would just find some other shifter to kill him. He couldn’t give up his last secret, not without getting at least a chance of survival in return. The idea beginning to form in his mind sounded a lot like suicide, but it was the only thing he had.

“You hate Riko.”

“Not what I asked.”

“No, I’ll tell you, I just- I’m leverage. Riko hates me; he wants me dead. You can’t challenge Riko directly, but you can keep me alive. Long enough that when Riko finally does snap, Kevin will fight him on it. That’s what you want, right? For Kevin to challenge Riko? I’m your key to Kevin.”

“You’re not in a position to bargain,” Andrew hissed.

“I’m not in a position to do anything else! I have no guarantee you won’t kill me as soon as I tell you the truth. Or hand me over to my father and let him finish the job. If I’m going to die either way, I’m at least going to try and find a way out of it.”

“You overestimate your importance to Kevin. He would never challenge Riko for you.”

“Then why doesn’t Riko just kill me himself? You said it yourself; there’s a reason Riko wants you to do it.”

“Don’t try to pass off your desperation to save your own skin as a plan to help me.”

“You’re right; I do want to live. That’s what this is about. But if the only way I stay alive is by making myself valuable to you, I’ll do that too. I’ll get close to Kevin. I’ll get close to the others, to Renee, to Dan; I’ll make them like me. Enough that Riko won’t be able to kill me without them putting up a fight. And you know he’ll try to kill me, eventually. Then you can have the challenge you’ve wanted all along.”

There was a long, heavy pause. Neil didn’t dare to even draw in a breath.

“Tell me the truth, Josten. Tell me the truth, and then I’ll decide if you’re worth the trouble of keeping alive.”

He wasn’t going to get a better deal than that, not until he gave Andrew what he wanted. Secrets wouldn’t do his corpse any good.

“I wasn’t lying, before. My mother stole from my father when we ran away. But she didn’t just steal his money. She was _cassandra sangue_. A blood prophet. People would pay thousands for a single inch of her skin, for a chance to see their future. My father had kept her for years; she barely had any unscarred skin left. I don’t think he would have even cared about the loss if she had left on her own. But she took me.”

“And I suppose your skin is worth millions,” Andrew said dryly.

Something in the way he said it, the complete lack of surprise with which he treated the news, sent warning bells ringing through Neil’s head.

“You knew.”

“The _Sanguinati_ call your kind sweet blood. It’s why you didn’t smell like prey to Kevin. I tasted it in your blood the first time we met. The blood of the _cassandra sangue_ is forbidden for Others. It does something to the mind; makes you lose control. I only had a taste and even I felt it.”

“So you were never going to drain me.”

“No, I was going to snap your neck. I still might.”

Andrew shifted back, finally releasing Neil’s neck from his grasp and moving so that they sat facing each other. “We do this on my terms. If I think you’re lying to me, that you’re trying to go behind my back, I’ll kill you. And if you agree to this, then you don’t run. Not if your father shows up. Not if Riko threatens you. Not if you’re scared. You stay, and you trust me to handle it.”

“I’m supposed to trust you?”

Andrew met his gaze steadily. “I keep my promises. If I say that I’ll protect you, then I will. As long as you’re valuable to Kevin, you’re valuable to me, and you’re alive. If Kevin thinks you’re a threat to the Courtyard, then the deal is off. I’ll let Riko do whatever he wants.”

It was a dangerous deal. For now, Kevin wanted a Human Liaison, but Neil had no way of knowing that he would still feel the same way a month from now. And giving up the option to run felt like suicide. His mother had trained him to never go anywhere without an exit route, and he was about to enter a deal that turned his every option over to an Other who didn’t even like him that much. And if things came down to it, could Andrew really stop Riko from killing him? If he had that much power, surely he would have challenged Riko before now.

But he didn’t have any other options. It was Andrew or death, and at least this way would buy him a little more time. _And_ , a voice whispered in the back of his mind, _death by vampire is still better than death by father_.

“I won’t run,” he said at last. “I’ll keep up my end of the deal if you keep me alive.”

It felt like they should have done something more, something permanent. Signed a contract, or sworn a vow, or at least shaken hands. But Andrew simply nodded, standing up and moving towards the door.

“I’ll be seeing you around, Josten. Try not to make my job any harder than it needs to be.”

And then he disappeared through the wall in a cloud of smoke, leaving Neil behind with the sinking sensation that he had just signed away a lot more than his ability to run.


	7. Chapter 7

When Neil arrived at work the next morning, there was a Wolf lying in front of the counter. Neil froze in the doorway, but it just blinked up at him calmly, its tail thumping on the ground once. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t place exactly who it was. He’d only ever seen Kevin transformed, and there was no way Kevin could ever look this relaxed.

“Hi,” he said slowly.

The Wolf’s tail thumped again.

Neil glanced up at the window. Jean and the other Crows were still in their usual perch, although Jean kept on shifting back and forth as if agitated. Did Crows get territorial? Or were Wolves a feared predator even among the Others?

“I’m just going to…” Neil gestured at the counter, and the Wolf regarded him placidly as he took his usual spot behind the counter and set out the clipboard and pen.

After a few minutes, Jean flew down and took his place on the counter, cawing once at the Wolf. Neil rolled the pen back and forth for him absentmindedly, most of his focus still on the newest addition to the office. Jean clearly wasn’t happy with his distraction, because after a few minutes the Crow pecked at his fingers so hard that Neil snatched his hand back and cradled it to his chest.

“That’s not nice,” he hissed at Jean. “I don’t have to do this with you; I could just focus on my job.”

Jean’s body flickered and then he was almost a man again, although feathers remained on his arms and neck. “You’re being boring,” he complained. “Stop paying so much attention to Matt.”

“That’s Matt?”

Jean rolled his eyes. “Obviously. He’s here to watch the office.”

“On whose orders?” Neil had thought that Matt liked him, but loyalty probably overrode fondness. If Riko had sent him to do what Andrew wouldn’t, Neil doubted he’d stand much of a chance.

“Kevin told me to,” Matt said, suddenly a man. He leaned against the counter, smiling at Neil. He didn’t look like he had come here to murder someone. “Andrew got weird about wanting more security at the office. I usually watch the bookstore, but we haven’t been very busy lately. And I figured this would be a lot more interesting than the bookstore.”

“It’s not that interesting,” Neil said apologetically. “Mostly I just sign for packages.”

“Yeah, but I get to spend time with you. It’s not fair that the Crows are the only ones who get to see the new human in action.”

“Neil’s right, though,” Jean said. “He’s not very interesting at all.”

“If I’m not entertaining, you can always spend your day anywhere else,” Neil told him.

Jean seemed to consider it for a moment. “No, you still do a good job with the pens. When you’re not distracted.”

“You can ignore me for the most part,” Matt told Neil, completely ignoring Jean. “I’m just here on the off chance that something goes wrong.”

With that, he shifted back into a Wolf, curling up in front of the counter and resting his snout on his paws so that he was facing the door. It was a lot easier to focus now that Neil knew who he was, so he was able to put enough effort into the pen game to please Jean until the first driver arrived. As usual, it was Wymack.

“Good morning, Neil, how was your-” he cut off abruptly at the sight of Matt, hesitating in the doorway.

“Don’t worry about him; he’s just for security,” Neil told him.

“Did something happen?” Wymack asked, entering the office and leaving as wide a berth possible around Matt to reach Neil.

“No, Kevin just decided to increase security in the office. Probably because we’re actually receiving packages again.”

Wymack nodded, exchanging clipboards with Neil to sign while keeping a wary eye on Matt. “Guess you can never be too careful.” He finished signing the sheet and headed back to the door, nodding once to Matt. “I’ll unload the packages and head out. Look out for yourself, Neil.”

Neil watched him go, thinking. He still didn’t know exactly what Wymack’s angle was. The other drivers were polite, but none of them seemed to actually care about his day or safety in the way that Wymack did. Wymack had seemed nervous around Matt but not terrified, so it seemed unlikely that he only cared about having a human around to interact with. It bothered Neil, not knowing what someone wanted from him. Everyone wanted something, and when they hid it, it usually meant it was something he wouldn’t willingly give.

Jean cawed to get his attention, and Neil shook the thought off, returning to entertaining the crow. At least he knew what Jean wanted from him.

Two more drivers arrived in the next hour, both wary of Matt but willing to at least pretend to ignore him. The third refused to enter the office altogether, and Neil had to bring the clipboard to the door for him while Matt growled his disapproval in the background. That one left as quickly as possible, and Neil got the feeling he wouldn’t be seeing him in the future.

“You shouldn’t try to scare them,” he told Matt as he returned to his station. “We need them to be willing to come back.”

Matt looked unrepentant, so Neil let the subject drop.

The last driver arrived about half an hour before Neil’s lunch break. Neil didn’t recognize him, although that didn’t mean much given the number of new drivers who were still continuing to add the Courtyard back to their delivery routes. But there was something off about him, something about the way he looked at Matt like he was a challenge and not just a threat. Something about the way he looked at Neil, and then didn’t stop looking.

He came to a stop just in front of the counter, still staring at Neil. “I’ve got a few packages I need you to sign for,” he said, holding out a clipboard.

“Of course. Just fill this out for me, please.” Neil handed him the clipboard, and the man took it without breaking eye contact.

He barely seemed to pay attention to what he was writing down, but when Neil signed his own paper and handed it back, the man looked at it for a long moment. “Neil Josten,” he read aloud, and Neil fought back the urge to fidget.

“That’s me,” he said. “You can unload the packages in the back.”

Neil didn’t relax until the man was gone, and even then he felt like he could still feel the prickle of his gaze. The skin of his arm itched faintly, and Neil scratched at it as if he could scrape away the man’s attention. Had his mother’s constant vigilance made him paranoid or was something genuinely off about the man?

“He scared you.”

Neil jumped at the sudden voice. Matt was a human again, his brow furrowed in concern as he watched Neil.

“I wasn’t scared.” Regardless of whether the man was a threat, it wouldn’t do any good to get Matt involved.

“Your heart was beating really fast. Did you recognize him?”

“No, but I’ve only been here a week. Most of the drivers have only just started delivering packages again.”

Matt didn’t seem satisfied. “He didn’t like that I was here.”

“The others got nervous about having a Wolf around too.”

“Not as nervous as him.”

Neil shrugged. “Yeah, but the others are used to me. He doesn’t know me at all, so he doesn’t have any guarantee that I’ll stop you from eating him.”

“You couldn’t stop me from eating him if I really wanted to,” Matt told him smugly.

“Don’t tell the drivers that. They’ll stop coming again, and then you’ll never get your mail.”

Matt considered that for a moment. “I still didn’t like him,” he said at last, but let the subject drop.

Since the morning was almost over, Matt remained in human form until it was time for Neil to close the front office. He was technically free to go after 12:00 since there was no need to guard the office when human drivers were no longer coming by, but he stuck around to eat lunch with Neil.

Matt was good company, Neil decided. He didn’t ask too many questions, at least not while Neil was eating, and when Neil had finished his lunch, Matt stuck to topics that Neil didn’t mind discussing.

“Tomorrow will be your first day off, right?” Matt asked.

“Yep.”

The Liaison Office was open Monday through Saturday, but since no mail was delivered on Sundays there was little point in Neil working then.

“Do you think you’ll go into town? Human town, I mean. You must be going a little stir crazy here.”

Normal humans would probably jump at the opportunity to spend a day away from beings that spent about fifty percent of the time wanting to eat them. Neil didn’t plan on leaving the Courtyard’s boundaries unless he was literally chased out, though, especially now that he had his deal with Andrew.

“I might just stay here. Take the opportunity to relax.” Normal people relaxed, right?

“No shame in that. I would be exhausted if I had to learn all of this in one week. Especially dealing with Andrew.”

“What do you mean?”

Neil hoped his heart rate hadn’t picked up at the words. Surely people hadn’t found out about their deal already.

“He’s just a pain to be around, is all. He exhausts me, and I don’t even have to consider him a threat to my life. Well, most of the time.”

“He’s not so bad. He’s mostly left me alone.”

Matt laughed. “That’s a generous assessment of him.” He stood, clapping Neil on the back. “I’ll see you on Monday. I’d say try not to get yourself killed in the meantime, but the beginning is usually the most dangerous part of this job. Seems to me you’ve made it through the worst of it.”

Somehow, Neil doubted that was the case.

\---

Despite not having work, Neil woke just as early as he usually did on Sunday. He went through his regular morning routine, but once that was finished he found himself lost. Neil couldn't remember the last time he’d had a free day. His mother had enrolled him in school while they were on the run, although never long enough for him to actually put any effort into passing his classes. When he wasn't in school, they were usually on the move, always trying to stay a step ahead of his father's men. His free time could be counted in hours, and even then, it was usually devoted to worrying about where they would go next.

Normal humans had hobbies. Neil wasn't sure if the Others had hobbies, but they had to do something while they weren't playing at running human shops. Either way, they would probably expect him to have some sort of activities that he enjoyed.

What did Neil enjoy? He had liked math while he was in school, but that wasn't a hobby. He got the feeling that he would have enjoyed playing some sort of sport, but he had never gotten the chance, and it seemed too late to try that now. Maybe he could do something else athletic? Running always relaxed him, and the Courtyard had lots of paths that would be perfect for a jog.

His mind made up, Neil looked through the clothes Andrew had picked for him to see if there was anything resembling athletic wear. He still hadn't fully removed all of them from their original bags, and after a small search, he found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that would do. They wouldn't be much protection against the cold, but hopefully the movement would keep him warm.

Neil changed quickly and left his apartment, stopping at the top of the stairs to consider his route. He was technically allowed in the Inner Courtyard since Kevin had given him a pass, but he didn't know if that extended to anything beyond delivering packages. He would prefer to stick to safer options, which meant running by the shops was his best bet. Maybe then he could stop by A Little Bite for some lunch as well. The Courtyard wasn't open to humans on Sundays, but Renee kept the cafe open for any Others that wanted a quick meal.

Neil exited the efficiency apartments and began to jog, his breath leaving small clouds in the air with every exhale. He had been right; the clothes didn't do much to shield him from the chill, but Neil almost liked the feeling of the cold. It was better than the heat, at least, better than any reminders of California. Neil made it to Howling Good Reads after only a few minutes, but he wasn’t quite ready for his run to be over, so he passed by it, continuing on so that he was following the loop of the Outer Courtyard. He passed by the clothing shop, the grocery store, and a few buildings he still hadn't seen yet. After his first loop of the Outer Courtyard, Neil stopped paying attention to his surroundings and instead focused on the feeling of running.

It felt strange, running when there was no real reason to. Last year, his mother would have scolded him for expending energy on something nonessential. Now, it felt like almost everything he did was nonessential. His deal with Andrew meant that he wouldn’t be leaving the Courtyard anytime soon. And he couldn’t really do anything to defend himself against his father except hope that Andrew would keep up his end of the bargain.

Neil’s thoughts drifted back to the strange delivery man from the day before. The packages he had left behind had seemed legitimate, and the company name he had listed checked out, but Neil still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about him. Matt had clearly thought so as well. Should he tell Andrew about it, or try to bother the Other as little as possible? Neil didn’t particularly want to remind Andrew of his presence, not when he had barely seemed convinced that he should let Neil live.

After about half an hour of running, Neil slowed down into a jog until he reached Howling Good Reads. He entered the café through the side door, finding it nearly empty except for two Others sitting in the corner and Renee at the register. Renee looked up as he entered, smiling warmly.

“Neil! It’s good to see you, how are you?”

“I’m doing fine, thanks, and you?”

“Oh, wonderful. Sundays are always so relaxing; without human customers, it hardly matters that Katelyn and Laila aren’t around to help. What can I get for you?”

Neil ordered the soup he had gotten the first time he came, and Renee set about making it while continuing to chat.

“How are you settling in? It must be strange, adjusting to such a new place.”

“It’s been alright. My job isn’t exactly complicated.”

Renee laughed. “I’m not sure the previous employees would agree with you.”

“I’m just signing for and delivering packages.”

“Yes, delivering packages to Others. I’d imagine that’s the part most people find difficult.”

Neil shrugged. “I haven’t been eaten yet.”

“No, but from what I hear you’ve come close a few times.” Renee walked around the counter and placed the steaming bowl of soup on one of the tables near the front of the café. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

Neil hesitated. “You don’t have to keep me company.”

“No, but I’d like to.” Renee paused for a moment. “You don’t have to say yes, Neil; I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Neil didn’t really see how he could say no. Renee was still an Other, for all her friendly manner. Probably even more dangerous than most, since no one seemed to know exactly what she was.

“Be my guest,” he said at last.

They both took a seat, and Neil began to eat his soup immediately. Maybe Renee wouldn’t expect much conversation if he seemed occupied with his meal. Of course, it hadn’t worked on Katelyn, so he wasn’t sure why he expected it to work this time.

“You’ve caused a bit of a commotion, Neil. None of the other liaison’s took a real interest in their job; I think this is the first time in years half of the Courtyard has actually gotten their mail.”

“That probably says more about past employees than me,” Neil said. “I’m just trying to do my job.”

“So I’ve heard. Jean says you’re always distracted.”

Neil tried to stop himself from making a face. “Jean thinks ‘working’ constitutes as ‘distracted.’ He’s just mad that I don’t spend all day playing fetch with him.”

“You still do more for him than the Others. Kevin permanently banned Jean from Howling Good Reads after he destroyed his fourth book trying to make a nest. I’d say Jean almost likes you.”

“What an honor,” Neil said dryly.

“Matt and Dan like you too. I think they almost got into a fight over who got to guard the Liaison Office.”

“They barely know me; they’re probably just curious. I’m sure the novelty will wear off soon.”

Renee cocked her head to the side. “Are all humans so self-deprecating, or are you unique in this aspect?”

“Katelyn and Laila are humans. Haven’t you learned anything from them?”

“Katelyn and Laila don’t try so hard to avoid my questions.” Renee paused, smiling slightly. “Well, they answer most of my questions.”

The idea that Katelyn or Laila might have anything worth hiding was intriguing, but Neil didn’t want to give off the false impression that he was invested in this conversation. “You can probably find out most of what you want to know about humans from them, then.”

“Do you view yourself as atypical, Neil?”

Neil did his best to smile as blandly as possible. “I’m about as typical as they come.”

Renee sat back in her chair, watching Neil silently. The tips of her hair changed slowly from blue to pink to blue again, and Neil was reminded again that he was facing down someone who wasn’t human. The fact that Renee pretended better than most was more worrying than comforting.

“Andrew has a rather profound distaste for liars. I’m surprised he’s been so tolerant of you.”

There didn’t seem to be any point in protesting the label a of liar. “I wouldn’t call Andrew tolerant.”

“Wouldn’t you? If he were tired of you, you would no longer be in the Courtyard.”

“Kevin likes that I do my job. He wants me around.”

“Kevin’s favor alone wouldn’t be enough to keep you alive. Andrew works with Kevin, and he plays at obedience when he needs to. But don’t make the mistake of thinking Andrew doesn’t do what he wants.”

“What about Riko, then? Kevin follows Riko, but Riko hates me and I’m still here.”

“Riko thinks you’re a nuisance.”

Neil let out a sharp laugh. “I think he feels a bit more strongly than that.”

“If Riko felt more strongly than that, you would be dead, regardless of Kevin’s feelings. He still might kill you if he finds you a nuisance, but he won’t try so hard at it. Besides, Riko has to worry about maintaining the balance of the Courtyard, making sure we don’t all kill each other. Andrew isn’t burdened by such concerns.”

Neil shrugged. “Maybe Andrew just finds me entertaining.”

“That’s just as surprising.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Renee smiled, breaking a bit of the tension in the air. “You don’t have to explain things to me, Neil. I’m curious, but unless you’re a threat to the Courtyard, I won’t pry.”

“I doubt a human could do any real damage to the Courtyard.”

“You’d be surprised.” Renee stood up, taking Neil’s empty bowl and smiling down at him. Gray tendrils snaked through her hair. “The people we care about are always capable of causing damage.”


	8. Chapter 8

The itch was getting stronger. Neil could ignore it throughout the day when he was too busy doing his job and trying to survive in the midst of the Others. But when he was alone in his apartment, done with work for the day and finished with the sad excuse for a frozen pizza he had tried to make, there were no other distractions. He could feel the heavy weight of the razor like a stone in his pocket, impossible to ignore. His arms prickled even just thinking about it, and Neil couldn't help but pull the razor out, resting it in his palm and considering it.

He would have to do something eventually. His mother had warned him that the blood prophets needed the visions just as much as they needed to exercise discipline. Most lost control when it came to holding back, cutting too deep or too often and losing their blood faster than they could speak the prophecies. But that didn't mean it wasn't just as dangerous to never make a cut. The prophecies weren't meant to be held back for too long; eventually, they would find a way to express themselves. Generally in the form of insanity.

“ _It’s worse to keep them trapped_ ,” his mother had said, and something about the haunted look in her eyes told him that she wasn’t speaking in hypotheticals. “ _They turn you into something else, something even further from human._ ”

His first concern was making sure not to arouse suspicion in the Others. Andrew already knew what he was, but Kevin had no idea, and Neil would prefer to keep it that way. If the Wolf smelled a fresh cut, would he be curious? Maybe Neil could say he cut himself shaving. But the cut wouldn't be on his face, and Neil doubted that Kevin was so oblivious about the habits of humans that he would believe Neil was shaving his arms.

Maybe he could claim a cooking accident. Neil had groceries; he'd even successfully made himself dinner for the past few nights. He could just say that he had nicked himself while chopping vegetables. Surely Kevin wouldn't care to question that.

But even if he could avoid any awkward questions, that only solved half of his problems. He still wasn't sure if he could keep himself from speaking the prophecy out loud. The few times his father had punished him with the gag, Neil had felt like he was dying. He would have given anything to speak during those times, regardless of the consequences. Would he react that way now, or had he gotten stronger? There was no way of testing that until he made the cut, but Neil couldn't stand the idea of wasting a prophecy. He needed every advantage he could get in the Courtyard; he wasn't about to give up a possible glimpse into the future.

Neil carefully set the razor down on the desk and took a step back. He wasn't in a position to make a decision right now, not when his skin wouldn't stop buzzing. He would go to sleep, hope that this feeling of impending doom would pass, and figure out what to do with the razor when he was more clear headed. One more day wouldn't drive him insane.

He began his nightly routine, the razor calling to him like a beacon from the desk. Trying not to think about it made it impossible to ignore, and every time he let his mind wander his eyes inevitably wound up fixed on it once again. By the time Neil put out the light and crawled into bed, the buzz beneath his skin was nearly painful.

Neil grit his teeth and turned his back on the desk, staring at the wall and beginning to count backward from one hundred. He was fine. He was in control. Nothing bad was going to happen tonight.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed as he lay in bed, fighting the urge to turn back towards the desk. He knew, physically, that he was exhausted, but his mind wouldn’t shut off no matter how hard he tried. How could the craving have gotten so bad so fast? He’d been fine today, and his mother had never indicated that the need to cut would be so sudden.

A soft thump from outside his window drew him from his thoughts. Neil sat up in bed, his attention off of the razor for a moment. There was no further sound, but Neil knew that he had heard something. It might have been an animal, but Neil didn't usually see many regular animals wandering around the Courtyard. Certainly none big enough to make a sound like that. His window was on the wall facing the Courtyard, so it seemed unlikely that he would hear any noise from the street.

Neil slipped out of bed and crept over to the window, shifting the curtain to the side just enough to peer through the gap down at the ground below. For a moment, all he saw was snow and shadows, barely illuminated by the apartment building's single exterior light. Then one of the shadows shifted, and a figure by the door slowly became discernable. Neil couldn't make out many details from the window, but from what he could tell it appeared to be a man dressed in all black, a ski mask further obstructing his features. The man pulled at the door to the apartment, and when he released the handle in defeat, the thump sounded again.

The buzzing beneath Neil's skin reached a crescendo, and he nearly stumbled back from the window at the force of it. Someone was trying to break into the efficiency apartments. The efficiency apartments, located in the Courtyard where human laws did not apply and any trespasser faced almost certain death. The efficiency apartments, where only Neil lived. There was no way this could be random.

Neil forced himself to remain still, careful not to let any motion from the curtain give him away. The man still hadn't succeeded in opening the door, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't be able to break the lock. Neil doubted that the Others were very concerned about securing their buildings against burglaries. He couldn't see any weapons on the man, but that didn't mean he didn't have them. Either way, Neil couldn't let this come down to a fight.

He needed to get out of the apartment, preferably without the man noticing. There were two entrances to the apartments: the door that Neil usually used, which was the one the man was blocking now, and the street-facing entrance. He might be able to sneak out that way, but that was only if the man had come alone. Neil might be walking directly into the arms of his father's people, and even if he did make it out of the apartment, where could he go? He couldn't call the police, but he couldn't go to the Others for help either. They would want to know why someone had broken into the Courtyard to look for him. That was if he could even find any of the Others at this time of night to begin with.

The man suddenly stopped pulling at the door, bringing up a walkie-talkie to his ear. He listened for a few moments, said something in reply, and then abandoned his efforts on the door completely. He began to walk away, going to the far edge of the building and then turning down the path that led to the street.

Neil let the curtain fall shut and took a deep breath. It was possible that the man was moving on, but the chances of that were minuscule. No, it was far more likely that whoever he had come with had found a different way into the apartment. That meant the street-facing entrance was compromised.

He had two options. He could try to get out of the apartments using the door the man had just abandoned, or he could try his luck with the window. Leaving through the door left a high likelihood that he would run into the intruders on his way out. But he would have to time the window jump to make sure that the men weren’t still outside to hear his fall, and there was a high chance of injuring himself. If he did something to his legs that impeded his ability to run, he was as good as dead anyway.

Time to consider his options was quickly running out, and in the end, Neil valued his ability to run above all else. He pulled on his shoes as quickly as possible, slipped the razor back into his pocket to join his keys, and left the room, pausing in the kitchen to grab the large steak knife he’d only used once. It wouldn’t do much good if the men had guns, but at least the weight of it in his hand provided some form of comfort.

Neil pressed his ear against the apartment door, listening carefully for voices. Nothing yet, and the small peephole revealed that the hallway was clear. It was now or never.

Neil opened the door as quietly as possible, slipping out and not bothering to lock it behind him. Maybe the intruders would waste time searching his room before they realized he was gone. He crept to the left stairway, the one that led to the door he was aiming for, and paused at the head of the stairs. The way the apartments were organized, both doors were technically accessible by either staircase. The left staircase would place him directly by the Courtyard door, but he could technically circle around the lower-floor hallway to reach the street entrance. That meant that the men could also reach him from that entrance if they heard him trying to leave.

He still couldn’t hear anything suspicious, so Neal began to carefully climb down the stairs, clenching the knife in one hand and the rail in the other. He stopped again at the base of the stairs, glancing between the door and the hallway. Leaving the building would definitely make noise, and if anyone was still on this floor there was no way they wouldn’t hear him. If he was lucky, the men would be on the second floor by now, but there was also the chance that they had split up. Once he opened the door, he needed to get to safety as fast as possible.

Neil took a deep breath, steadied himself, and then darted for the door, wrenching it open as quickly as possible. The door creaked loudly as it moved, and he heard a distant curse and then the sound of thumping feet. Neil didn't stay to see how many men were still on the first floor; he took off running the moment his feet touched the ground.

His safest bet was to remain in the Courtyard. He didn't have his pass with him, and most Others would probably react poorly to him running around at night, but he could only hope they would react more poorly to his pursuers. The Liaison Office wouldn't do him any good; it was secure, but he didn't have the time it would take to unlock the door. He could try Howling Good Reads and hope that Kevin was still in the habit of not bothering to lock up. If the building locked from the inside, it might buy him enough time to think of a plan of action.

He could hear the grunts and pounding footsteps of the trespassers behind him, muffled by the snow, but he couldn't tell how far behind him they were. The glare of a flashlight briefly illuminated the area, wobbling frantically as its owner ran after him. Not too close, but certainly not comforting.

Neil made it to Howling Good Reads and nearly slammed into the back door, desperately grabbing at the handle and feeling a nearly dizzying relief as it yielded beneath his hand. He slammed the door shut behind him and fumbled with the lock frantically. A few seconds after he heard the reassuring click, a body slammed into the door on the other side.

Neil stumbled back, scanning his surroundings for his next option. He doubted he would be able to find anything resembling a weapon, but maybe he could use the bookshelves to barricade the door. Or he could try leaving through one of the other exits-

A second too late, Neil realized that the back door wasn’t the only entrance that was unlocked. A man in all black burst through the front door, the assault rifle in his hands pointed directly at Neil.

“Drop your weapon!”

Neil lurched backward against the wall, gripping the knife all the tighter.

“Drop the knife or I shoot!”

Neil let the knife clatter to the floor from numb fingers. It wouldn’t do him any good if he ended up dead.

“Don’t try to run!” The man barked. “Keep your hands where I can see them!”

Neil carefully raised his hands, pressing his back further against the wall. He didn’t recognize the man, which meant he wasn’t one of his father’s top enforcers. Maybe they hadn’t known for sure Neil would be here. This could have been a reconnaissance mission, and Neil’s flight had told them everything they needed to know.

“Get on your knees.”

Neil remained standing. “This isn’t going to work. The Others will-”

“I said get on your fucking knees!”

As Neil began to lower himself gingerly to his knees, another man entered the bookstore. He was slightly bigger than the first, also in a ski mask and toting another assault rifle.

“Is it him?” The second one demanded.

“What do you think, genius?”

“This isn’t going to work,” Neil repeated. “You’ll never make it out of the Courtyard alive.”

“Yeah? You going to stop us, kid?”

“I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

“Right,” the first one laughed. “The Others.” He looked around the bookstore, peering into the corners exaggeratedly. “I don’t see them here, do you?”

“They’ll know you were here.”

“And by the time they figure it out, we’ll be long gone.”

He was right, Neil realized with a sinking sensation. If someone were around, they would have heard the commotion and come to investigate by now. He was on his own.

“They’ll still find you,” he said, trying to sound confident. “Even if you’ve taken me, they’ll be able to track down your scent. You won’t live through the next 24 hours.”

“The Others can track scents through the snow on a highway, huh?” The first man asked. “What makes you think they’re even going to bother looking? They’ll just assume you got tired of the job and ran. We’ll be sure to help them in that assumption.”

Would they assume that? Kevin might, but Neil had promised Andrew that he wouldn’t run. Exactly how much faith did Andrew have in Neil’s promises? Would he look for him, or would he dismiss him as just another flighty human?

“They’ll know something’s wrong,” he insisted.

“Kid, why would they care?”

The second man began to move towards him, unraveling a coil of rope from his utility pack. He faltered suddenly, his mouth dropping open in confusion as his entire body convulsed once, blood suddenly beginning to stream from his skin. A rattling groan fell from his throat as he collapsed forward, the gun and rope clattering from his hands.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Andrew said, materializing from the dark black mist that had encased the man’s body. “I think you’ll find we get a little territorial.”

The first man fired the gun frantically, but Andrew simply dissipated again, reappearing a second later behind the man and sinking his teeth into his throat. He wrapped one arm around the man’s chest and used the other to wrench his head back, holding his trembling body still until the man finally slumped against him, unmoving. Andrew let him drop to the floor and looked back up at Neil, his jaw and neck coated with the fresh blood.

“You should really be more careful about bringing guests into the Courtyard, Neil,” he said, wiping a casual hand across the back of his mouth and walking forward. His boot collided with the second man’s hand as he moved towards Neil, the sickening crunch of bone making the man twitch and moan. “We don’t deal well with people who forget their manners.”

Neil let his head fall back against the wall, closing his eyes and trying to regain his breath. Maybe now wasn’t the time to calm down, not when there was still an angry predator approaching him, but he was too exhausted to muster up the appropriate amount of fear for Andrew.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Neil said. “No more visitors.”

The sound of Andrew’s footsteps stopped in front of him, and a second later a hand guided his head back up. Neil opened his eyes to meet Andrew’s. The Other had crouched in front of him so that they were level, the hand gripping Neil’s chin still slick with blood.

“Your father’s men?”

“I think so. I don’t know whose else they could be.”

“How did they find you?”

Neil shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”

Andrew’s grip tightened. “Not good enough.”

“I don’t know how they found me, Andrew. My father has men everywhere; maybe they tracked me down to here while I was running, maybe one of the delivery drivers turned me in, maybe it was just a lucky guess.”

“Why did you come here, then?”

“The Liaison Office was locked. This was the first place I could think of where I might be able to stall them for a little while.”

“Why not your apartment?”

“They picked the lock to the building. I ran before they could do the same to my apartment.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes. “How did you know they were in the building?”

“I heard them. They tried the Courtyard entrance first, and I saw one of them from my window.”

“It’s late; why were you up?”

“I couldn’t sleep. My skin felt weird.”

Neil paused, realizing for the first time that the buzzing beneath his skin had disappeared. At first, he thought he might have just forgotten about it in the adrenaline of the chase, but even now, as his body began to relax, the horrible tingling sensation was gone.

“Did you make a cut?”

“No.”

Andrew frowned.

“No, Andrew. If I had, maybe I would have seen this coming. But I didn’t know they were here until it was too late. Why would I lie about this?”

“It’s in your nature.”

“I’m not lying to you,” Neil said firmly. “I’m not stupid.”

“Copious amounts of evidence say otherwise.”

“Fine, how about this? I’m not lying to you because I don’t have a death wish. You promised to protect me. Why would I try to stop you from doing that?”

Andrew stared at Neil a moment longer. Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it, because he eventually released Neil’s chin and stood back up. “Next time your skin ‘feels weird,’ you come to me about it.”

Neil nodded, standing up as well. He glanced around the bookstore. Both of the bodies had finally stopped moving, each surrounded by a pool of blood that looked like it had already sunk deep into the hardwood floor. Surprisingly, not much else was out of place. They hadn’t even broken the door.

“How am I going to explain this to Kevin?”

“I’ll deal with Kevin. You go back to your apartment. Fix anything they might have broken. Go to sleep, and when you wake up, act like nothing happened.”

“What if they come back? We have no way of knowing these were the only ones.”

“If they come back, I’ll deal with it,” Andrew told him. “Nothing is going to enter the apartments for the rest of the night except for you. I’ll make sure of it.”

Neil nodded. As crazy as it was, he trusted Andrew. At least, he trusted him on this. Neil made the walk back to the apartments on autopilot, barely aware of the snow beneath his feet or the chill in the air. The door still hung open wide from there the men had chased after him, and he closed it gently behind him, locking it even though the building was still easily accessible from the other side. His apartment was undisturbed; they must have heard him running before they got the chance to investigate it. He locked that door too, heading straight to the shower and shedding his clothes on the way.

He didn’t know how long he stayed underneath the pounding water. Long enough for the water to turn pink and then clear again as his attackers’ blood washed away. Long enough for the feeling to slowly return to his arms and legs. Halfway through he realized he was shaking, but he didn’t do anything about it.

Neil shut off the shower when it began to run cold, bundling himself up in a towel and returning to deal with the clothes he had discarded on his way in. His pants were fine, although the ends were soaked through from the snow. His shirt, on the other hand, had several dark red patches around the neck from where Andrew must have dripped on him. He scrubbed at it in the sink until the stains were almost entirely gone, and then changed into a new set of pajamas. He kept the razor and the keys in his new set of pockets.

It felt surreal, lying back in the same bed he had been in less than an hour before. He should have been too on edge to sleep. He should be worrying about how his father had found him, about who would come after him next. He should be wondering if Andrew really was capable of handling all of the questions Kevin would have. He should be terrified of losing the life he had only just begun to build for himself.

But Neil was too exhausted to worry. The flight and stand-off had drained him, and he didn’t have anything left to devote to thought about the future. Instead, within minutes, Neil was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: At the beginning of the chapter, Neil thinks about his need to make a cut but doesn’t do anything about it.


	9. Chapter 9

Neil woke up the next morning with dread sitting heavy in his stomach. Andrew had said he would handle things with Kevin, but how could he explain two dead bodies in Howling Good Reads? Normal humans probably didn’t leave a trail of corpses in their wake.

Still, Andrew had told him to act normal, so Neil did his best to obey. He went through his morning routine on autopilot and showed up at the Liaison Office fifteen minutes before opening. Matt showed up twenty minutes later, and he didn’t look like anything was out of the ordinary. If Kevin knew what had happened, he hadn’t told Matt about it.

Neil jumped every time the door opened to admit a driver into the store, but no one did anything unusual. He recognized all of the drivers, although the strange driver from a few days before was distinctly absent. The more Neil thought about it, the surer he was that the man had been a scout from his father to confirm he was in the Courtyard.

Andrew came for him just as Neil was closing the front office for the day. Matt and Jean had already left, so no one else was around to see how hard Neil jumped when Andrew materialized just inside the door. Neil was pretty sure Andrew startled him on purpose.

“Come with me,” Andrew said, ignoring the fact that Neil had nearly fallen on his ass.

“Where are we going?” Neil asked, already hurrying after the other man.

Andrew didn’t bother answering, just led Neil out of the office and across the walk to an official-looking stone building that Neil had noticed a few times. It looked vaguely like an old church without any of the religious regalia. The front door led to a small lobby with a bored looking receptionist who didn’t bother to look up at Andrew and Neil’s entrance. Andrew took him up a single flight of stairs to the second floor where a carpeted hallway opened into what looked like a few different conference rooms.

“Andrew,” Neil said, stopping before they could go any further. “Where are we going?”

“I said I would handle things with Kevin; this is me handling it.”

“But where are we?”

“Other than the Liaison Office, the consulate is the main point of contact between the Courtyard and the human world. When Riko’s here, this is where he has his meetings. Kevin has an office here too, which he uses to get away from the bookstore when he has official Courtyard business to deal with.”

Andrew moved forward again, giving Neil no choice but to jog after him to keep up. Andrew kicked open a door at the end of the hallway without bothering to knock, but Kevin, who was seated at a large mahogany desk and typing something on a desktop computer, didn’t even bother looking up.

“I am working, Andrew, can it wait?”

“This is work related.”

“Doubtful. Why is Neil here?”

“I want him out of the efficiency apartments.”

Kevin finally looked up from the computer, furrowing his brow. “Housing is one of the benefits of the job, Andrew; you can’t just evict him without a good reason.”

“I’m not suggesting we evict him. Move him to the Wolf Complex.”

Kevin let out an incredulous laugh. “The Wolf Complex? Are you serious? That’s in the Inner Courtyard; no humans live there. Most aren’t even allowed to pass through.”

“Neil’s had free reign over the Inner Courtyard since he started delivering packages. I haven’t heard any complaints about him overstepping his bounds.”

“That does not mean he can just move in without explanation!”

“Are you implying you don’t have the authority? I thought Wolves were good at listening to their masters.”

“This is not a matter of authority,” Kevin growled, standing up.

“Then you’re scared of Riko. Scared he’ll say no.”

“He has every right to say no to a random request to move a human into the Inner Courtyard!”

Andrew took a step closer to the desk, his face reflecting Kevin’s snarl. “And you don’t even have it in you to argue with him. Just fall on your back, belly up, and let him run the Courtyard into the ground if necessary.”

“Do not make this about Riko!” Kevin snapped. “This is about you, expecting me to drop everything and give in to one of your whims. Give me one good reason to move him!”

“There were intruders in the Courtyard last night.”

Kevin froze. “When?”

“Around one in the morning. They were unfortunate enough to run into me when I was leaving the bookstore. I dealt with them.”

Kevin’s gaze darted over to Neil. “What does this have to do with him?”

“The lock for the exterior door of the efficiency apartment was broken this morning. Apparently, they were trying to break into every building, probably looking for anything of value.”

“And you saw them?” Kevin asked Neil.

“They didn’t make it to his apartment,” Andrew answered for him. “Probably realized that almost no one lives there and decided to try their luck in one of the stores.”

Kevin leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. “And you think they were just petty thieves.”

“I think they were stupid thieves if they thought robbing the Courtyard could ever be a good idea. But there were only two of them, and they didn’t have the supplies that a full-fledged human invasion would have.” Andrew bared his teeth in a grin. “They didn’t put up much of a fight. I barely got my blood pumping before I drained them.”

“If they did not have anything to do with Neil, why do you want to move him?”

“Just because they weren’t targeting him doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have killed him if they thought he might raise the alarm. The efficiency apartments are vulnerable; last night made that clear. And there aren’t usually Others around to defend them; it was only luck that I stayed here late. He should be somewhere where even the stupid home invaders know not to trespass.”

“Why the sudden interest in Neil’s survival? I thought you did not care about humans.”

“I don’t care about humans. I do think it would reflect badly on the Courtyard if our Human Liaison was killed by a couple of petty criminals. It would make it look like we can’t protect what’s ours.”

Kevin considered him for a moment and then turned back to Neil. “Do you want to move out of the efficiency apartments?”

Neil didn’t really think it was a matter of want. He had promised Andrew his cooperation in return for his life, and if Andrew thought this was the best way to protect him, Neil wasn’t going to argue. Given how many people wanted him dead or captured, living even closer to the Wolves wouldn’t be that much more dangerous than his daily life. At least this way he could be sure his father’s men couldn’t reach his living space.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble,” he said at last.

Andrew rolled his eyes. “That’s a self-sacrificing way of saying he’ll do whatever you’ll allow. Can you allow it, Kevin? Or will you have to grovel in front of Riko first?”

“I am the one who hired Neil, I can decide where he lives. You are not going to be able to goad me into doing this just by throwing Riko in my face.”

“I don’t have to goad you. You know I’m right. The question is if whether you’re willing to admit it.”

Kevin was silent for another moment. He looked between Neil and Andrew, chewing on his lip. Finally, he spoke. “I will have to talk to the others first.”

Andrew opened his mouth to speak, but Kevin cut him off. “Not to get their permission; they know I’m second in command. But this is their living space, and I am not going to move Neil into the apartments if Dan and the others are not comfortable with it.”

“They’ll be fine with it,” Andrew said.

“Oh? I was not under the impression that you spoke to them enough to know how they feel.”

“I don’t have to speak to them. You Wolves always wear your hearts on your sleeves. Dan and Matt like Neil, Allison finds him amusing, and Seth will be outvoted. We can even bet on it if you like.”

Kevin sighed, finally sitting back down. “We will discuss it soon.” He addressed Neil, “Do you feel safe staying in the apartments for the time being?”

“I’m fine,” Neil said. “I doubt anything will happen in the next week or so.”

His father would probably be waiting to hear back from the men he had sent, and once he realized what had happened, he would have to come up with a new plan to reclaim Neil. Hopefully by that time, Neil would be safely in the Inner Courtyard.

Kevin nodded. “I will tell you when we come to a decision, then. You can go back to work now.”

Neil turned to go, with Andrew a step behind him.

“Not you,” Kevin said, and Andrew paused.

“We still have some things to discuss,” Kevin told him.

“Oh, Kevin, surely you can tell me anything you have to say in front of our trusted Human Liaison. If this is some misguided attempt at asserting dominance, you should want him here to witness it.”

“Andrew,” Kevin growled.

“Kevin. I’m not you. I won’t roll over just because a Wolf raised his voice at me. If you want to talk to me, you can do it now, with Neil here, or you can try another time when I don’t find you so annoying.”

Andrew was out the door before Kevin could reply, and after a moment’s hesitation, Neil followed him. The idea of being alone in a room with a pissed off Kevin wasn’t particularly appealing.

He waited until they were outside before he spoke up. “You didn’t tell him the truth.”

Andrew didn’t stop walking. “Didn’t I? I told him there were intruders. I told him they tried to break into the efficiency apartments, but they never entered your apartment. I told him I disposed of them.”

“You said they were just petty thieves.”

“I said they were _probably_ petty thieves. If Kevin chooses to accept my guesswork as fact, that’s his choice.”

“And if he does find out the truth?”

“And why would he do that, Neil?” Andrew asked, coming to a sudden halt and spinning to face Neil. “Surely you wouldn’t be foolish enough to tell him.”

“I’m not going to tell him,” Neil said slowly. “But there’s always a chance that he’ll find out.”

“Then if I were you, I would do everything in my power to make sure that chance stays as small as possible.”

“I’m already doing everything that I can.”

“Then we shouldn’t have a problem.”

Andrew placed a hand on the back of Neil’s neck, making him flinch. He tensed against the oncoming pain, but it never came. Andrew just squeezed once and then let him go.

“I told you I would protect you, Neil. Don’t get in my way, and I’ll do just that.”

“And what about Riko? He’ll never go for this.”

“Riko doesn’t live in the Wolf Complex; he won’t even be aware of your new habitation until someone tells him. Kevin won’t go against him, but he’ll ask Dan and the others’ opinions without including Riko in the conversation. By the time Riko does find out, you’ll already be living in the apartments. Riko won’t make you move, not when it will mean testing Dan and Matt’s loyalty.”

“You’re awfully confident that Dan and Matt will go for it.”

“Because they like you, Neil. Don’t ask me why; I have no idea what they see in you. But I’m not going to question it if it makes my job easier. Now run along. You’re still technically on the clock, after all.”

Neil hesitated, still unsure.

“Trust me, Neil.” When Andrew smiled at him, it wasn’t meant to be comforting. “After all, it’s not like you have any other options.”

Neil decided that he hated it when Andrew was right.

\---

It took three more days for Kevin to come to a decision. He sent Nicky over with the news, and that Sunday Neil began the process of moving out of the efficiency apartments. Despite the two weeks he had spent at the Courtyard, Neil had yet to amass a large number of possessions. He still had all of the bags that his clothes had originally been delivered in, so those were easy enough to pack. The pots, plates, and silverware that he had purchased all fit easily in a single box, and the nonperishable food went in another. Matt and Dan had offered to help him move, but looking around it was pretty clear that he didn't own enough to justify the assistance of two Wolves.

Matt and Dan didn't let that deter them. Dan insisted on carrying the two boxes while Matt carried the clothes, leaving Neil with nothing to do but follow a step or two behind them as they loaded the boxes onto the BOW. The drive took less than ten minutes, most of which Matt spent excitedly discussing everything that they could do now that Neil lived in the Inner Courtyard.

“I usually run to work in the mornings, but maybe sometime we could carpool! Humans do that right? Dan and I saw it on one of our television shows.”

“We have movie nights,” Dan added. “We used to have them at the Community Center, but eventually we decided to buy a T.V. for our own apartment. We don't get any cable in the Inner Courtyard, so we have to watch everything on DVDs.”

“Most of them are pretty old, though,” Matt said. “Maybe you can order some newer ones since we know packages will actually get delivered now.”

Neil did his best to respond with mostly noncommittal grunts and nods. Matt and Dan's movie expertise might be limited to a few decades ago, but it still probably outmatched Neil's. He didn't think he'd ever seen a full movie. The closest thing had been the short video clips his instructor played to make sure Neil could interpret his visions. They had only been a few seconds long, never enough to tell an actual story. Neil didn't really see the appeal of a full-length movie, but that probably wasn't normal for most humans. He would probably have to pretend to be more knowledgeable about human cinema than he actually was to avoid arousing any suspicion.

Once they arrived at the apartments, Dan and Matt carried his things up to an apartment on the second floor. It was only two doors down from Dan's apartment, placing him on the same floor as Dan, Matt, Allison, and Seth. At least security wouldn't be an issue; he doubted a potential invader would live long enough to make it up the stairs. Privacy was another matter. Neil wasn't sure exactly how enhanced Wolf senses were, but he got the feeling that he wouldn't be able to do much without his new neighbors knowing. It could become a problem in the future when he needed to make a cut, but for now, there was nothing he could do about it.

The new apartment was a lot bigger than his previous one. The door opened into a large room split down the middle with a counter, with one half devoted to a kitchen and the other containing a couch, coffee table, and chair. The layout must have been similar to the other apartments in the building, because Matt didn’t hesitate before heading to the opposite side of the room where a small hallway led to a bedroom on one end, a bathroom on the other, and a large closet on the back wall. Matt set down the clothes on the bed while Dan left the other boxes on the kitchen counter.

“This is so great,” Matt beamed. “You’ll be just next door to us!”

“I don’t know if we’ve ever had a new neighbor,” Dan mused. “People usually bake something, don’t they?”

Neil had no idea, but he nodded anyway.

“Maybe I’ll make lasagna,” Matt said. “You could probably use a home-cooked meal if the food we brought over is anything to go by.”

Neil’s food supplies consisted almost entirely of microwave meals, cereal, and ramen noodles. He kept on telling himself that sometime soon he would take the time to learn how to actually cook something, but he was almost always exhausted by the time he made it home. Besides, he made sure to at least buy carrots every two weeks or so. As long as he didn’t get scurvy, Neil counted himself as doing well in terms of taking care of himself. From the way Dan had looked at the contents of his refrigerator, she would probably disagree.

Dan and Matt lingered for another hour or so, helping him unpack the boxes and making a list of things he would need to furnish the rest of the apartment. Neil didn’t really see why he would need more than one trashcan or a vacuum cleaner, but Dan was adamant. At least getting them delivered would be easy.

By the time they had left and Neil had eaten a small dinner, he still had a few more hours left in the day. There didn’t seem like much of a point in leaving the Inner Courtyard this late, but something about sitting alone in the new space made Neil feel restless. Instead, he decided to explore the apartment building. It never hurt to know all possible exits.

From the balcony outside his door, there was a staircase on either side that led down to the ground. The one closest to Neil’s apartment took him to the edge of the parking lot, where three BOWs now sat. The one that Neil had come to think of as his own was parked closest to the building.

The Wolf Complex was relatively small, not that much bigger than a large house. It only consisted of eight apartments, and Neil knew that at least two of them were empty. Either that or their inhabitants never received any mail. Since all of the apartments were accessible from the outside, there wasn’t any need for a lobby or community rooms, so there wasn’t that much to explore. Neil was halfway through encircling the building when he nearly ran straight into Kevin.

“What are you doing here?” he blurted out, too caught off guard to be polite.

Kevin frowned. “I live here.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“This is the Wolf Complex. Where else would I live?”

It seemed silly, now, to say that he hadn’t really thought that Kevin lived anywhere. It was hard to imagine Kevin doing normal things like sleeping or eating. Whenever Kevin received packages, they were always addressed to Howling Good Reads, either because he got them faster or because Kevin never ordered anything that wasn’t work-related. Sadly, Neil suspected it was the second reason.

“Andrew said that Riko doesn’t live here. I thought maybe you would be the same.”

“I’m not Riko.” Kevin was still frowning. “You seem to be having a lot of conversations with Andrew.”

“I’m really not.”

“He hasn’t told me to fire you yet. Usually, whenever we hire someone new, Andrew is the first to want them gone. I haven’t been able to keep an employee on at Howling Good Reads for more than a month.”

“I haven’t lasted a month yet either.”

“But if you leave, I don’t think it will be because of Andrew. He’s never cared about the safety of a human before.”

“I really wouldn’t go that far. Maybe he just likes getting his mail on time.”

Kevin didn’t look satisfied with that response. Neil was starting to get the feeling that Kevin wouldn’t be satisfied regardless.

“Look, whatever problems you and Andrew are having, I’m really not interested in getting in the middle of them.”

“We’re not having _problems_.”

“Great, then I guess we don’t have anything to discuss.”

Walking away from an angry Kevin was terrifying, but Neil couldn’t deny the satisfied thrill he got from it. Maybe Andrew was onto something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the amazing feedback I’ve gotten so far! Every kudos, comment, and bookmark means the world to me. I’ve also been working on another Andreil fic that would be an Inception AU, around 23k words, and if anyone wants to be a beta for that story I would really appreciate it. If you’re interested, feel free to send me a message at valbucky.tumblr.com or leave a comment below. Thanks to everyone who’s reading!


	10. Chapter 10

For a second when Neil woke up the next morning, he didn’t know where he was. His right hand went automatically under his pillow for a gun, his left reaching for a body that hadn’t been there for months. When his hand closed around nothing, it began to come back to him.

Neil hadn’t forgotten California like that for weeks. He had probably gotten too comfortable in the efficiency apartments, too dependent on the fleeting stability they had offered. He didn’t want to think about what that would mean when he finally had to leave the Courtyard for good.

For now, though, he still had a job to do. Neil’s morning routine didn’t change all that much with the change in locations; his new shower had better water pressure and he had more room to make breakfast, but that was about it. Just as he was washing his breakfast bowl, someone began to pound on the door.

Neil’s first instinct was fear. Things shouldn’t have gone wrong so quickly; he had only just moved in, but that didn’t mean Kevin hadn’t changed his mind about Neil living in the Wolf Complex. Or maybe Riko had found out about his change of address and decided to finish the job himself.

But when he opened the door, it was just Matt standing on the other side, smiling brightly.

“I thought we could carpool this morning,” he said. “Usually I enjoy the run, but this way you’ll have someone who knows the way to the office from here with you.”

Neil already had most of the roads around the Courtyard memorized thanks to his deliveries, but Matt looked so excited that he didn’t have the heart to tell him that.

“Let me grab my keys and I’ll be right out.”

Matt was in the passenger seat of the BOW by the time Neil got back out. It had snowed again recently, so Neil made sure to take his time pulling out of the parking lot. Wrecking the BOW with Matt in it twenty feet from the Wolf Complex probably wouldn’t be a good start to the day.

“So how are you liking the Wolf Complex so far?” Matt asked once Neil had successfully navigated his way onto the road.

“It’s fine. I like the extra space.”

“I guess you’ve only had a day to form an impression. Dan and I weren’t so sure when we first moved in, but we’ve come to really like it.”

“When did you move in?”

“About five years ago. Dan wanted to live in a Courtyard, so I followed her.”

“Why a Courtyard?” The Others controlled vast swathes of territory that didn’t contain human cities; Courtyard were only tiny offshoots of their true communities.

“A few reasons. The packs are smaller, here, so Dan thought there would be a better chance of getting her voice heard. We wanted access to more human technology. If you think package delivery was slow here before you came; you should see the other territories. We were lucky if something came within the year.”

“Do you ever miss it?”

Matt shrugged. “I miss the space, sometimes. The Courtyard has a lot of land, but it’s nothing compared to the miles of woods we used to have. There’s never quite enough room to run.”

Matt stared out the window for a moment, frowning a little, but snapped out of it quickly and smiled at Neil. “It’s cool here, though. We definitely get a lot of experiences we wouldn’t find in the other territories. And humans aren’t so bad.”

“Thanks,” Neil said dryly.

“Obviously you’re different. It’s just annoying when humans forget what we are. They’re not permitting us to live in the Courtyard. We’re permitting them to live on the continent.”

“Have humans ever tried to attack a Courtyard?”

“Never with a concentrated force. The human government understands that it wouldn’t even constitute a war; it would be a massacre. Sometimes a few hot-heads get the wrong idea, but as soon as they cross the border into the Courtyard, we take care of them in our own way.

“A few years ago there was a problem with a Courtyard out west. A group of men got drunk and decided to ‘take back the town,’ whatever that means. They killed an Other, but the police caught them after a few days. The only problem was one of them was the mayor’s nephew. Instead of turning them in to the Courtyard, he tried to keep them in a protected human prison.”

“What happened?” Neil asked.

“That town’s not on the map anymore.” Matt began to drum his fingers on the door of the BOW. “It’s not common. If the leader of a Courtyard wants to wipe out a town like that, they need some form of justification. The death of an Other is always justification enough.”

The conversation died out after that, but they reached the Liaison Office only a minute later. Matt was a Wolf before he was even half-way out of the car, running ahead to the door and then butting his head against it until Neil came behind him to unlock it.

The morning passed relatively quickly. Neil’s change in living quarters hadn’t affected any other routines, and by this point, he recognized all of the drivers that came in. Matt transformed back just as Neil was closing the front office.

“I almost forgot,” Matt said as he pulled on the pair of sweats Neil had taken to keeping in the office for when Matt transformed and forgot to bring a change of clothes. “Dan and I are having a movie night at our apartment tomorrow. She wanted me to invite you. Sort of a ‘welcome to the Wolf Complex’ type thing. Allison and Seth will probably be there too.”

Neil’s first instinct was to make up some excuse for why he wouldn’t be available. But he couldn’t think of any excuse that Dan and Matt wouldn’t see straight through; they knew his social calendar wasn’t exactly packed. And, after another second of thought, Neil realized that he didn’t particularly want to make an excuse. He enjoyed spending time with Dan and Matt. It certainly beat sitting around alone at his apartment. He might have to fake a little more popular culture knowledge than he had, but it would still be a nice night.

“Sure, what time?”

Matt looked surprised that Neil had acquiesced so easily. “Come over at around eight. You already know where, obviously.”

He stuck out his fist, and after a second Neil bumped it.

“This is going to be great,” Matt enthused.

Neil hoped he was right.

\---

Neil was outside Dan and Matt’s apartment at 7:56, and waited until 8:00 on the dot before knocking. Dan opened the door so quickly that Neil nearly hit her in the face, and she beamed at the sight of him.

“Neil! I’m so glad you could make it!”

Neil stuck out the box of microwave popcorn he had picked up from the grocery store yesterday. “I, um, brought this.”

He was pretty sure that guests were supposed to bring over some sort of gift for the host. Wine seemed too formal and he still didn’t trust his oven enough to try cooking anything in it, so the popcorn had seemed like his best bet.

“You’re so cute,” Dan said, grabbing the box and heading back into the apartment. “Make yourself at home!”

Neil entered, taking in his surroundings. Matt was kneeling in front of the large flat screen TV fiddling with some wires and frowning to himself. A large couch and two armchairs were arranged to form a semicircle facing the screen, and someone had already placed two large bowls of chips on the coffee table. It looked like Neil was the first guest to arrive, so he took a seat on the edge of the couch and watched Matt work.

“We’ve got three possible DVDs,” Matt told him, gesturing to the cases scattered on the ground beside him. “You’ve probably seen more than us, so you can pick.”

Neil was willing to bet money that he hadn’t seen more than them, but he kept quiet. He didn’t recognize any of the three movies, so he settled on the one that looked like it might be about superheroes and handed it over to Matt.

Dan was just getting the popcorn out of the microwave when the next knock on the door came. Both Dan and Matt were occupied, so Neil went to answer it. Allison stood in the doorway, with the other male Wolf shifter that Neil had seen a few times before standing behind her.

“Sorry we’re late,” Allison said, breezing past him. “Someone wouldn’t stop being a bitch.”

The man scowled. “The whole reason humans aren’t allowed in the Courtyard is so I don’t have to see them when I don’t feel like it.”

“Are you going to deliver my packages then, Seth?” Allison demanded. “Neil does a lot more for me than you’re doing right now.”

Surprisingly, that statement did not seem to endear Neil to Seth. Neil returned to his seat at the end of the couch and Allison settled in beside him, shooting a significant look at Seth. Seth’s scowl deepened and he took a seat in one of the armchairs, crossing his arms and keeping his glare fixed on Neil and Allison.

“Popcorn’s ready!” Dan announced, doing little to break the tension.

She placed a large bowl of popcorn on the table beside the chips, and Neil immediately grabbed a handful so that he could focus on eating instead of pretending he didn’t notice Seth’s anger.

Matt placed the DVD in the player and moved over to the last spot on the couch, with Dan squeezing in so that she was half on his lap. For a second Neil considered moving so they could sit together more comfortably, but the movie was already starting and he didn’t want to interrupt. Besides, neither of them looked too disappointed about the seating arrangement.

Within about five minutes of the movie starting, Neil accepted the fact that he wouldn’t be able to follow it. Some building was exploding, and a lot of people were shooting guns, and Neil wasn’t certain but he thought it might actually be a sequel. The whole experience became a lot more enjoyable once he gave up on figuring out who was who and just enjoyed the special effects. The bullet wounds were especially realistic.

About an hour into the movie, the protagonist was beginning to unravel a giant conspiracy and the popcorn was almost gone. Neil didn’t think any of them were truly paying attention, and his suspicions were confirmed when Allison abandoned any pretense of watching the movie and turned to Neil.

“So, Neil.” The gleam in her eyes was not at all comforting.

“Yes?”

“I was hoping you could settle a bet for us.”

“Allison,” Dan hissed.

“It doesn’t count if you ask him!” Matt protested.

“You have a bet about me?” Neil asked, his stomach sinking. He couldn’t imagine any speculation about his life on the part of the Others that would end well for him.

“Don’t feel too special; we bet on everything. But Nicky’s getting annoying on this one, so I figured we could go ahead and settle it now.”

“Don’t feel pressured to answer,” Dan told him.

“Don’t act so high and mighty; you have money on this too,” Allison snorted. “All of you do, except for Seth.”

“It’s because I don’t give a shit about the human,” Seth said. Neil almost wished the others shared Seth’s sentiments.

“We just want to know if there’s someone special,” Matt said.

“Someone special?”

“If you’re fucking anyone,” Allison put in. “And the gender of all parties involved. Nicky insists you swing his way, but I say it’s wishful thinking.”

“You really don’t have to answer,” Dan repeated, but even she seemed curious.

“I- there’s not anyone,” Neil said.

“But if there was?” Allison pressed. “Would you break Nicky’s heart?”

“Nicky’s heart would be broken for about a day,” Dan said. She addressed Neil again. “Nicky’s got a boyfriend back home. You might have noticed the daily letters.”

“Back home?”

“Nicky’s only lived in the Courtyard for the past few years. His boyfriend, Eric, is going to join him here eventually, but he’s got family issues to deal with for now.”

“Nicky never shuts up about him,” Allison added. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard about him yet.”

“I kind of tune Nicky out,” Neil said.

He didn’t intend it as a joke, but the others laughed anyway.

“You’re still avoiding the question,” Allison said. “Which way do you swing?”

“I don’t think I really swing at all.” Or if he did, he’d never given it much thought.

Allison didn’t seem ready to let the topic drop. “Come on, you have to have your eye on _someone_. What about the human waitresses? Katelyn and what’s her name? Do you think either one of them is cute?”

“I don’t think Neil is Katelyn’s type,” Dan said, more to herself than anything.

“I just try to focus on my job,” Neil told Allison. “I don’t need any distractions.”

“Distractions? From sorting packages? Neil, you know I appreciate you, but I think you can multitask at least a little with a job like that.”

“Leave the kid alone,” Matt said. “If he doesn’t want to talk about it then he doesn’t have to.”

“ _I_ don’t want to talk about this,” Seth said. “Even the stupid movie was better than pretending to care about how he gets his rocks off.”

Allison didn’t look like she wanted to let the subject drop, but she finally conceded after a look from Dan.

“ _This isn’t over_ ,” she mouthed at Neil, but thankfully returned her attention back to the movie.

The movie lasted for almost another hour. Apparently, someone wasn’t dead, but someone else was a traitor, and Neil still couldn’t figure out whose side the cyborg was on. It ended with a scene that promised about a thousand more sequels, and as the credits began to run Matt stood up and started to collect the now-empty bowls of chips and popcorn.

Seth left pretty quickly, but the rest of them lingered for a while, chatting. Neil remained mostly silently, letting himself relax into the couch and listen as the sounds of the others’ voices washed over him. There was something comforting about listening to them speak, knowing he could be a part of the conversation if he wanted to but not feeling pressured to say something. It was a dangerous sort of comfort, but for just one night, he could indulge.

It was nearly midnight by the time he and Allison left Dan and Matt’s apartment. Home was only a few steps away, and Neil still felt relaxed from the atmosphere of the movie night as he unlocked his door and stepped inside. It was probably a bad sign, that he wasn’t even startled anymore by the familiar sight of Andrew lounging on his couch.

“Are you sure you should be here? Won’t Dan and Matt smell you or something?”

“And what if they do?” Andrew cocked his head to the side. “You’re so popular in the Courtyard; they can’t blame me for wanting a little time with the new star.”

“I thought you wanted me to get close to them.”

“Not close enough that you spill all your secrets the moment Matt asks you to pass the remote.”

“I won’t,” Neil snapped. “I kept my secrets for eight years before I came here; I think I can manage a few months.”

“One would hope,” Andrew agreed. “And yet somehow you don’t inspire much confidence.”

“I’m tired,” Neil sighed, walking past Andrew and into his bedroom. “It’s late; I want to go to sleep. If you have something to say, just say it. I’m not going to try and decipher whatever subtext you want me to pick up on.”

In an instant, Andrew was in front of Neil, gripping his chin and scowling. “This isn’t a game, Neil. I’m the one keeping you alive; you don’t dismiss me just because you’re tired.”

“I’m not scared of you,” Neil told him. A second later, he realized it was true.

“That’s very stupid on your part.”

“Probably,” Neil agreed. “But you said you keep your promises. You promised to protect me. I’m holding up my end of the deal, even if you think I’m not.”

“That’s right,” Andrew hissed. “ _I_ promised to protect you. Not Dan. Not Matt. Not even Kevin. So if I were you, I would think very carefully about who you choose.”

“I’m not choosing anybody. Stop acting like I’m betraying you just because I enjoyed spending time with other people.”

“Given your current situation, I wouldn’t say you have the luxury of making decisions based on what you enjoy.”

“I’ve never been in a situation to make decisions like that. You become desensitized, after a while.”

“And then you become dead.”

Neil met Andrew’s eyes, silently hoping that the Other could hear how steady his heartbeat was. “I’m not dead yet. Are you planning on doing anything to change that, or are we done here?”

Andrew stared back at him for a few long moments. The tension hung thick between them, nearly palpable. It wasn’t quite danger, but Neil didn’t know what else to call it. Something akin to adrenaline.

“You can get yourself killed without my help,” Andrew said at last. “Come find me when you inevitably get close to achieving that goal.”

Andrew stalked away from him, barely pausing when he reached the wall and dissolving into smoke to disappear through it a second later. Neil stared at the spot where he had vanished for a few minutes but eventually decided he was too tired to try and decipher whatever Andrew was annoyed about now. As long as he wasn’t changing the terms of their deal, Neil figured he didn’t have anything too horrible to worry about.

Neil changed quickly and crawled into bed, his eyelids already beginning to droop. Physically, he knew he was tired, but his mind wouldn’t stop circling back to Andrew. It didn’t make sense, that Andrew seemed so constantly annoyed by Neil’s presence and yet sought out his company on occasions like tonight. He obviously had his reasons for wanting Neil alive, most of them revolving around Riko, but that couldn’t explain all of his behavior. Spending an evening with Matt and Dan couldn’t exactly be considered life-threatening, and yet Andrew had seemed almost jealous. Neil knew that he wasn’t entirely fond of the Wolves, but Neil’s relationships with them shouldn’t matter if Andrew didn’t care.

Relationships. Allison had seemed to know so much about what was going on in the Courtyard when it came to the Others’ romantic lives, but she hadn’t mentioned Andrew once. Was Andrew just incredibly private, or was there nothing to talk about? Neil couldn’t really imagine Andrew in a romantic relationship, but then again, he’d never seen Andrew around someone he actually liked. Was Andrew capable of liking someone?

Neil tried to picture Andrew with someone, but his imagination kept falling short. Whoever did end up with the Other would probably have to be just as deranged as Andrew was. It seemed more likely that someone suited for Andrew would end up killing him after the first month.

It would be impressive to see, though. It would probably be good for Andrew to have someone who wouldn’t put up with his shit. And if Andrew was so protective over Neil when he didn’t even like him, Neil couldn’t imagine what Andrew would do for someone he cared about.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings are in the end notes.

The itch was back. It never quite left, these days, always hovering just below the surface of Neil's skin, ready to come out the moment he wasn't busy with something else. But usually, he could ignore it, shove it into a corner of his mind and go about his day as if nothing was wrong. It was different this time. His skin prickled so sharply it was nearly painful, a sharp buzz that didn't fade no matter how hard he tried to focus on sorting the mail. He didn't want to think about it, but he knew his skin had felt like this before. He’d felt the same uneasy buzz the night his father's men broke into his apartment.

If this feeling meant that something bad was going to happen, he couldn't just ignore it. He would almost certainly have been taken that night if he hadn't heard the man at the door, and he couldn't rely on such luck again. But he still didn't trust himself to make the cut alone, and Andrew had made it clear that he didn't want Neil using his razor.

Andrew. As much as Neil hated to admit it, he couldn't really think of anyone else he could turn to. Andrew was the only one who knew about his powers, and Neil wanted to keep it that way. That meant he couldn't go to Matt or Dan for help without at least some explanation of why he thought something was going to go wrong. And Andrew had promised Neil his protection. He had already stood by that promise when he killed those men. Given the way he treated his word, Neil could probably trust him to protect him again. But that was only if he could figure out what he needed protection from.

Andrew didn't want Neil to make any more cuts, but he had told Neil to come to him if his skin felt this way again. And if Andrew were there to listen, Neil would be able to actually remember the prophecy. He wasn't sure how he felt about having Andrew there to witness him in such a vulnerable state, but he didn't really see any other options. He would rather be at Andrew's mercy than face a completely unknown danger, even if most people probably wouldn't feel the same.

Neil had already been in the storeroom for a little over an hour. The ponies had come and gone, Matt had wandered off since there would be no more deliveries for the day, and Jean and the other Crows had left when it became clear that Neil was too distracted to be of any entertainment. The buzz beneath his skin had been steadily building all morning, and at this point, he wasn’t sure how much time he had left before the premonition took place. If he was going to act, he needed to do it soon.

Before anything else, he needed to find Andrew. Neil didn’t want to arouse anyone’s suspicions, and he was pretty sure Kevin would find it strange if he asked about Andrew’s whereabouts, so he would have to find him on his own. The three most likely places were Howling Good Reads, since Andrew was technically a co-owner, A Little Bite, or the Chambers. Howling Good Reads was closest, so Neil grabbed the two packages addressed to Kevin and headed over.

Dan was tending the register of Howling Good Reads that day. Neil wasn’t sure if any of the Wolves had actual assigned jobs or if they just did whatever they felt like doing at the time. He didn’t think they had any true notion of salary, other than what Neil received. Regardless, Dan being there made things far easier than facing Kevin.

Dan looked up and beamed when she saw who had entered the store. “Neil! How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Neil said, forcing himself not to scratch at his arms. “I’ve just got some packages for the store. Is Andrew here?”

“Andrew?”

“I just figured Kevin might get tired of dealing with these all the time.”

“Kevin’s such a perfectionist I doubt he’d even want Andrew to help with the workload. Neither one of them is here, though; Kevin’s in his office and I have no idea where Andrew is. I can take them if you’d like.”

“That’d be perfect.”

Neil handed over the packages and exited the bookstore by way of the café. A quick scan revealed that Andrew wasn’t there, either, which meant he would have to check the Chambers. Neil didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t find the Other there.

Neil stopped back by the Liaison Office to grab the packages addressed to the Chambers and loaded them into the BOW. There were only two, not usually enough to warrant a trip so soon after his most recent one, but hopefully, none of the _Sanguinati_ would notice anything suspicious.

The buzzing only increased as he drove over, his grip on the steering wheel becoming nearly white-knuckled as he fought not to jerk his arms at the feeling. He stuffed the two packages into the proper slots the moment he arrived, and then approached the large cast iron gates, pausing to contemplate his next move.

Several clouds of mist floated around the Chambers, meaning he definitely wasn’t alone. Nicky had warned him not to trespass onto _Sanguinati_ property, and he doubted that the warning had been lifted just because he was allowed in the rest of the Courtyard.

“Hello?” he asked one of the clouds near the gate. “Can you- can I talk to you for a minute?”

One of the clouds to his left began to materialize. Neil caught a glimpse of blonde hair and felt a moment of relief, which quickly dissipated as the figure coalesced into a scowling Aaron.

“What do you want, human?”

“Is Andrew here?”

Aaron cocked his head to the side, crossing his arms. “And why does the Human Liaison want to know that? Does he have a package so special that you have to hand it off directly?”

“I need to talk to him.”

“What about?”

“If it was relevant to you, I’d be telling you.”

Aaron’s lip curled back in a sneer. “Riko was right; you’re too confident in your safety here. Humans are distressingly plentiful; you wouldn’t be hard to replace.”

“You talk to Riko about me? I’m honored.”

Neil ignored the spike of worry that went through him at the words. What if Riko had turned to the other twin when Andrew failed to kill him? What if Neil had just walked right into the danger he had sensed?

“I don’t need to talk to him about you; he’s made his feelings clear.”

“And his disdain breaks my heart. Is Andrew here or not?”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Aaron asked, taking a step forward. “I’m not like the Wolves; I don’t think it’s cute when you act like you’re something other than prey. If I were you, I’d be a lot less concerned about whether Andrew’s here and more concerned with why you’re still here. All sorts of things can happen to lost humans.”

“Sounds dangerous; you should mention that to Kevin. You do still report to him, don’t you?”

Aaron moved forward again, drawing nearly even with Neil. “Report is an awfully strong word.”

“You report to Andrew, though. And he’ll want to know I was here.”

“Will he? I think you’re overestimating my brother’s interest in you.” Aaron took the final step forward, reaching for Neil’s exposed collarbone.

Neil jerked back just before Aaron could touch his skin. “You really don’t want to do that.”

If _cassandra sangue_ blood really drove Others crazy like Andrew had said, Neil didn’t want to be within reaching distance once Aaron had gotten a taste.

“Don’t I? Why not?”

“Because I would be awfully annoyed with you.”

Neil and Aaron both turned to face the speaker, and Neil got the sudden sense of déjà vu. Andrew lounged against one of the pillars of the Chambers, looking bored but still carrying an air of danger.

Aaron took a step back. “I didn’t know you were so protective of the human.”

Andrew flashed a wide, fake smile. “I’m not. Call it territorial.”

“I thought he was Kevin’s pet project.”

Andrew left his place by the pillar and moved until he was standing in between Aaron and Neil, his back to Neil. “Kevin doesn’t get to have all the fun. Besides, these days it seems like everyone’s got a pet human.”

Aaron looked away, his confidence disappearing for a moment. “He should just be respectful, that’s all.”

“I’ll be sure to discuss it with him,” Andrew told him. He turned back to Neil. “What was so important that you had to come annoy my brother about it?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“So I gathered.”

Neil hesitated, glancing at Aaron. “Alone.”

Andrew sighed. “You won’t find any privacy in the Chambers. Can it wait?”

“Not really.”

“Fine. We’ll go back to your apartment. This better be worth my time.”

“I’m still technically working.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “And I could technically be considered your boss. I’m giving you the rest of the afternoon off; let’s go.”

Andrew took the driver’s seat in the BOW, but he already looked annoyed as it was so Neil didn’t protest. The drive back to the apartments was nearly enough to make him forget the itch; Andrew drove with such reckless abandon that Neil wasn’t even sure if he would survive long enough to tell Andrew what was wrong. All he could do was grip the side of the BOW and hope that _Sanguinati_ instincts would be enough to keep Andrew from killing them both.

The Wolf Complex seemed relatively empty when they arrived, which made sense since it was technically still business hours. Andrew led the way to Neil’s apartment, briefly dissolving to float through the door while Neil fumbled with the key. By the time Neil unlocked the door, Andrew had already made himself comfortable on the couch.

“This better be worth my while,” he said. “Aaron will be obnoxious about this for the next week at least.”

“You told me to come to you if my skin started feeling weird again.”

Andrew sat up, suddenly interested. “Does it?”

“Worse than the night the men broke into my apartment.”

Andrew gestured for Neil to sit next to him on the couch. Neil tried to ignore the strangeness of being offered a seat in his own apartment and obeyed. Andrew pushed up Neil’s sleeve and wrapped a hand around Neil’s arm, drawing one thumb along his skin in a slow slide. Neil still couldn’t help the instinctual flinch at the possibility of pain, but Andrew ignored it.

“Tell me what it feels like.”

“Like someone is pricking me with a needle a thousand times. Like there’s something beneath my skin, trying to claw its way out.”

“Did you ever feel it before you came to the Courtyard?”

“I’ve never gone this long without a cut before coming to the Courtyard.” Neil hesitated, thinking. “Sometimes my mother seemed to know when something was going to go wrong. She would make a cut even when it wasn’t time yet and have me listen to the prophecy.”

Had she sensed her death, the day his father had caught up to them? Had she felt like this, or was it so sudden that not even the prophecies in her blood could predict his appearance?

“So you think something bad is going to happen,” Andrew said, drawing Neil from his thoughts.

“I know something bad is going to happen.”

“How specific are the prophecies? Will it happen to you, or could there be a plane crash fifty miles away that makes you feel like this?”

“I’m not sure. The prophecies aren’t always about me. If I try to make the cut for someone, and if they’re what I’m thinking about when the blood spills, the prophecies are usually about their future. That’s how my father made so much money; his clients would be in the room with my mother and me when we made the cuts.

“While we were on the run, my mother and I were always focused on our own survival, so that’s what the prophecies were about. But I’m not trying for this prophecy, so I don’t think I can control its contents. Given what happened last time, though, I’d say it’s probably my own life that’s in danger.”

Andrew squeezed Neil’s arm once. The buzz seemed to flare up in answer. “And you want to make a cut.”

“I want to know what’s going to happen. It doesn’t seem very likely that I’ll get lucky twice.”

“And you don’t think I can protect you?” Andrew asked.

“Not if you don’t know what you’re protecting me from. What would you do, follow me around every moment of the day until whatever I’m feeling happens? Wait until I lose it and make the cut anyway?”

“Do you think you’ll lose it?”

“The _cassandra sangue_ aren’t meant to go this long without cutting. I think, eventually, the prophecy will find a way out.”

Andrew considered him for a moment. “How would you do it?”

“Release the prophecy?”

Andrew nodded.

“I have a razor. It was the one my mother always used. I would make a cut on my arm, where the skin hurts the worse right now. Just an inch, just deep enough to draw blood.”

“And what happens to you when you make the cut?”

“The prophecies come in snatches. Disjointed images, sometimes sounds. If I say them out loud, and someone is around to hear them, then I’ll be able to remember all of the details. That’s why I need you.”

“And if no one listens?”

“Then I speak them out loud and forget them, or I don’t speak, and I feel like I’m dying. I’m not sure if I could stop myself from speaking.”

Andrew stared at him for another long moment. His jaw flexed once, twice, and then, “Do it.”

It shouldn’t have been such a relief, to hear those words. He didn’t know when he had started caring about what Andrew thought of him, but somehow the idea of making a cut against Andrew’s wishes felt almost as bad as the pain that came from not making a cut.

Neil withdrew the razor from his pocket, letting the weight of it sit on his palm for a moment. He lifted the edge to his skin and then paused, another thought suddenly occurring.

“Will you be okay?”

“I’m not the one with the razor,” Andrew snapped.

“But the blood. Will you be okay with the blood?”

Andrew’s expression immediately made Neil feel stupid for asking, but he didn’t think it was such an outlandish question.

“I’m not a child, Neil. Some of us can exhibit basic self-control even when we do smell food. Although given what Renee has said of your eating habits, I can understand why you wouldn’t be familiar with that concept.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t want to be trapped in the room with a feral vampire,” Neil said curtly.

“You’re trapped in the room with me either way, Neil. Stop stalling.”

It wasn’t stalling. Not really. He just needed a moment to prepare himself before making the cut. His mother and he used to make a ritual out of it. They would dim the lights, clean the razor, sit on the bed facing each other and breathe together as the first drops of blood spilled. Even with the constant specter of his father finding them looming in the background, it had never felt frantic like this. He had never felt like the prophecy was controlling him.

Neil took a deep breath, tried to release some of the tension from his body, and dug the blade in. For a second all he felt was the sharp sting of the cut, and then the sensations of the prophecy slammed through him.

He had somehow forgotten, over the past weeks, what it felt like to make a cut. Somewhere along the way the memory of the sensations had become entwined with the safety of his mother, with the security of having someone else around to listen, with the relief of finally satisfying such a persistent desire. But it wasn't just safety, or security, or relief. It was _pleasure_.

Neil’s eyes closed without his permission, a shudder wracking his body, and then he opened his mouth and began to speak.

_A granite countertop. A box of letters knocked to the floor, envelopes scattered and stained with something. Someone was screaming. A knife, glistening. Hands pressed at an open wound. Somewhere, a Wolf howled._

_Blood blooming like roses across a white apron. A flash of blond hair and brown eyes. Teeth digging into his neck, ripping and tearing and someone was still screaming. Two bodies locked together, pain and violence and rage wrapped together until one slumped to the floor. Mirror images, one standing over the other’s corpse._

Neil’s eyes flew open and he jerked forward, his chest heaving. Something was gripping the back of his neck, and he wrenched away from it before he realized what was happening. The hand was gone almost as soon as he moved, and Neil looked up to meet Andrew’s eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment, both panting. Andrew’s eyes were blown wide, a ring of brown barely visible around the pupils. Andrew’s nostrils flared and he moved deliberately back on the couch, never once looking away from Neil’s eyes. He looked even paler than usual, his entire body held tense.

A tickle on his arm made Neil look down, and it took him a moment to realize that the red liquid trickling across his skin was blood. He drew two fingers across the small stream, holding them up to look closer. There was so little blood, for something that had made him feel so much.

“Clean yourself up,” Andrew said through gritted teeth, his eyes now fixed on Neil’s bloody fingers.

Neil glanced between his scarlet fingers and Andrew’s twisted expression. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Andrew in a state that wasn’t near perfect control. It probably said something about his survival instincts, that he felt more curiosity than fear.

“Now, Neil,” Andrew hissed, jerking Neil from his reverie.

Neil stood up and walked over to the sink automatically, running the water over his arm until most of the red smears were gone and then pressing a paper towel against the wound. He returned to the couch, still feeling like he was only half-conscious, and sat back down beside Andrew.

“Did it work?” Andrew asked, his gaze now fixed steadily on a point on the wall a few inches to the right of Neil’s face.

“Did you hear me speaking?”

“I heard you stringing together words. Was there a meaning somewhere in there?”

Neil nodded, his grip on the paper towel tightening for a second and making it sting. “I was right. Something bad is going to happen.”

“Can you be a bit vaguer?”

“It’s not like I got a notarized agenda of what’s going to happen,” Neil snapped, regretting it a second later.

Andrew was obviously more affected by the blood than he wanted to let on; it wouldn’t do any good to antagonize the _Sanguinati_ further.

He took a breath, trying to sort through the images he had seen. “Someone is going to be stabbed. I saw a knife, and blood.”

“You?”

Neil frowned. “I don’t think so.” _The fragile skin of his neck ripping beneath furious fangs, blood rising up in his mouth, the world spinning_. “There was an apron, I think. Blood on an apron.”

“Where does it happen, Neil?”

_The crisp parchment of envelopes soaking through with red, ink running together with blood_. “The Liaison Office, I think. There were letters.”

“Is that why you sensed it? Because you were spending so much time there?”

“No, I-” _Choking on blood, trying to speak and nothing coming out_. “Something still happens to me. I think- I think you-”

 “Neil, I need you to focus.”

Neil closed his eyes against the flashes of blond hair and brown eyes. “Someone attacks me.”

“The same person with the knife?”

“No.”

“ _Neil_.” Andrew was losing his patience.

“An Other. An Other attacks me. Rips my throat out.” Neil opened his eyes, looking back at Andrew. “A _Sanguinati_.”

The silence sharpened into something dangerous.

“You think I’m going to attack you.”

Andrew’s voice was devoid of emotion. Flat, all of the anger and tension drained from it in a moment. He met Neil’s eyes again, and there was nothing behind them.

“I trust you,” Neil said, and he realized he meant it. “But someone is going to kill me. I don’t think it’s going to be you.”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed as he realized what Neil was saying. “You think it’s going to be Aaron.”

“I saw the two of you fighting, after.” _A corpse splayed across the floor, too bloody to tell which twin it was_. “If Aaron bites me, that means he’ll taste my blood. You said that could make the Others lose control.”

Andrew nodded, a bit of the blankness leaving his expression. “It would also make him a lot harder to fight off. Why will Aaron be there?”

“I don’t know.”

Andrew stood up and began to pace. “You said you saw a white apron. Was it like the uniform for A Little Bite?”

“Yeah, I- it might have been.”

“The body. Was it Katelyn?”

“I didn’t see the person’s face. It could have been. Why Katelyn, though?”

Andrew ignored his question. “Did you get any clue as to when this happens?”

“No. But the way my arm felt before the cut, it could happen at any time. Probably sooner than later.”

“Are the prophecies set in stone?”

“No future is set in stone. It’s always changing.”

“We need to find Katelyn, then. If her death is what starts all of this, then we can stop it before it all plays out. I’ll ask Renee where she is, see if she can keep Katelyn with her, and we’ll go to the Liaison Office in case it’s too late.”

“How are you going to contact Renee in time?”

Andrew paused on his way to the door, looking back at Neil incredulously. “With a phone, Neil.” His eyes narrowed at Neil’s blank expression. “Do you seriously not have a- We’ll talk about this later. Go get the BOW started; you’ll drive while I make the call.”

Neil nodded, letting the paper towel fall from his arm and following Andrew out of the door. The bleeding had almost stopped entirely, although the sharp chill of the outside air sent it stinging again. Andrew tossed Neil the keys as he began to dial a number on his phone, and Neil jogged down the stairs to where the BOW was still haphazardly parked where Andrew had left it.

Andrew climbed into the passenger side as Neil turned the keys in the ignition, speaking quickly into the phone. “No, I don’t care- just tell me if she’s with you.”

“I sent her over to the Liaison Office with some leftovers to give to Neil.” Renee’s tinny voice was barely audible through the phone. “Andrew, what’s going-”

Andrew ended the call. “Drive,” he snapped at Neil, already dialing another number.

Neil pressed down on the gas pedal and took the turn out of the apartments as quickly as he dared on the snow-covered road.

“Aaron,” Andrew snapped into the phone. “Where are you?”

Neil couldn’t hear the response over the sound of the engine.

“Are you looking for the human waitress?”

The voice on the other end of the call rose, although Neil still couldn’t make out any individual words.

“Don’t waste my time by lying to me. You won’t find her in the café.”

Neil rounded another corner, the tires of the BOW skidding on the ice and nearly sending them careening off the side of the road. Howling Good Reads came into view; they were nearly at the office.

“Listen to me. Go back home.”

The plain brick walls of the office appeared and Neil pressed down on the gas pedal even harder.

“Go the fuck home, Aaron, if you know what’s good for either of you.”

Andrew hung up just as the BOW skidded to a stop in front of the office. Andrew was out of the car before it even stopped moving.

“Stay here,” he said, storming towards the entrance.

“No way,” Neil protested, scrambling after him.

He grabbed his keys from the ignition, but the back door gave way easily under Andrew’s kick. Andrew disappeared into the office, with Neil a second after him.

It took him a moment to comprehend the scene in front of him. The first thing he saw was the man in black, a ski-mask obscuring most of his features and a knife glinting in his hand. Katelyn was backed up against the wall, her hands up and her face pale. From the door that Andrew and Neil had entered through, they formed a triangle, neither of them close enough to make the first move without risking someone else moving first. The man was only a few feet away from Katelyn, far too close for comfort.

The man kept the knife pointed at Katelyn but turned his head to face Andrew and Neil.

“Nathaniel Wesninski,” he said, his voice familiar but not clear enough that Neil could place it. “Your father has been looking for you.”

“He should have kept his search in human territory,” Andrew growled. “We don’t take kindly to outsiders.”

“And the boy isn’t an outsider? He belongs with his father, not out here, playing at being human.”

“You don’t get to decide where he belongs. And you definitely don’t get to come into our territory and try to take what’s ours.”

The man ignored Andrew. “Come with me, Nathaniel, and no one else needs to get hurt. Do you really want any more blood on your hands? First your mother, now the girl…”

“Shut up,” Neil growled.

“Does she really deserve to die due to your stubbornness? You didn’t even care enough about her to tell her your real name, and now the poor thing is going to take the death that was meant for you.”

“She doesn’t have to be involved,” Neil said. “Let her go, and then we’ll talk.”

“Nathaniel, we’re talking regardless. And then you’re coming with me, and I’m returning your father’s property. The only thing that’s not yet decided is how many other people die in the process.”

“Your death seems the most certain at this point,” Andrew said.

“And you think you can reach me before I kill the girl?”

“You overestimate my empathy,” Andrew growled. “I only care about one human making it out of this. Her death will just make things a lot more painful for you.”

Katelyn stifled a sob. Neil did his best to shuffle to the side while the man was still focused on Andrew. Maybe if he got close enough, he could pull Katelyn to safety. No one else should have to suffer because of his past.

“And if I kill the boy?” The man asked.

“He’s what you came for; you wouldn’t destroy something so valuable.”

“His father would rather he be dead than living this farce. Disobedience cannot be tolerated. If you let me take him now, though, he’ll live. He’ll be protected, safe, where he can’t lose control and waste his own blood. _Cassandra sangue_ aren’t meant to live on their own; he’ll snap eventually.”

Neil deliberately kept his mouth shut, still inching towards Katelyn. The man was wrong. He and his mother had survived for eight years on their own. Neil would keep surviving without her.

“You’re already a dead man walking,” Andrew told the man. “You’ll never make it out of this room. But I can make it hurt a lot more if you piss me off.”

The man bared his teeth in a savage smile. “If I’m already dead, I might as well take as many people as possible with me.”

Then everything seemed to happen at once, all of them bursting into a flurry of motion. Neil lunged for Katelyn, grabbing her wrist and jerking her towards him. The man slashed outward, the knife catching her arm and dragging along it as she fell towards Neil. Andrew flew forward, catching the man a second later and sinking his teeth into his throat, both hands gripping the man’s arms and dragging blood to the surface.

Neil stumbled back as Katelyn’s weight hit him, both of them tumbling to the floor. He rolled over her as best he could, trying to shield her with his body and grabbing at her arm to try and see how deeply the knife had cut. His hands slipped on the slick blood that was already coating her skin, but the cut looked shallow. Bloody, but shallow. Neil was just beginning to try and staunch the bleeding with the edge of her apron when the door flew open once again.

Aaron stood in the doorway, eyes darting around the scene, frozen for a moment. Then his gaze zeroed in on Neil and Katelyn, and he was moving before Neil could open his mouth to try and explain.

“Get the fuck away from her!” he snarled, grabbing Neil by the throat and hauling him off of Katelyn.

“Don’t-” Neil began, but pain shot through his throat a second later, cutting off his voice as his blood welled up against the skin.

Something slammed into Aaron and Neil was free again, slumping to the ground and grabbing at his throat. His hands came away red, the taste of iron thick in his mouth as he tried to breathe, but he was still alive.

Aaron and Andrew fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, their snarls impossible to mistake for human. They were moving so quickly that Neil couldn’t keep track of who was winning, dissolving into smoke half of the time and then reappearing a few moments later, clawing at each other savagely. They rolled over again, and this time Aaron was on top, both hands wrapped around Andrew’s neck and his pupils blown so wide that his eyes were almost entirely black. Andrew kicked out, catching Aaron directly in his chest, but the other _Sanguinati_ barely flinched, his growls only rising in pitch.

“Stop,” Neil tried to say, but it came out as a garbled cough, blood still coating the inside of his mouth.

He looked around frantically and then lunged for the man’s fallen corpse, scrabbling at the floor around him until his hands closed around the knife. He stumbled to his feet and took a step towards the twins, the world spinning dangerously around him.

Another flash of movement, and suddenly there were two more bodies in the room. Kevin, half-Wolf and half-man, patches of fur covering his skin and flashing too many teeth for a human mouth. And the other one- Renee, but not Renee, hair a crimson red, threads of black curling along her scalp, and her eyes-

Neil dropped back down to his knees as Renee grabbed Aaron by his shoulder and ripped him away from Andrew as if he weighed nothing. Aaron turned on her, snarling, but flinched away the moment he met her eyes, clutching his stomach and falling to the ground.

Andrew was up in a second, snarling, but Kevin grabbed him by the arm, wrenching him away from his brother. Andrew whipped around to face Kevin, and for a second it looked like he might attack, but then his gaze turned to Neil.

“Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on,” Kevin growled, his voice barely recognizable.

As one, they all seemed to look at Neil. Neil opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was stare at Andrew. _The body, slumped to the ground, brown eyes staring blankly ahead_. Andrew was alive. _Neil_ was alive. He tried to reach out, but the shadows in the room were beginning to close in from all sides, and a moment later everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Neil makes a cut for a vision, but it's not very graphic.


	12. Chapter 12

The bandages around Neil’s neck itched. They had been wound so tightly that every time he breathed in he could feel them constricting his air flow, and the dried blood beneath them was beginning to flake. He wanted nothing more than to scratch at them, but every time he lifted his hands towards his neck, Andrew glared at him from across the table.

They were in a room that looked like an official conference room, across the hall from Kevin’s office in the consulate. Kevin sat at the head of the large table, looking enormously pissed off and tapping his foot against the floor repeatedly. Renee sat to his left, her hair back to its usual blond with pastel highlights, although Neil still couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her face.

Andrew lounged in the chair to Kevin’s right, alternating between staring at his nails and glaring at Neil whenever he twitched. Aaron was beside him, also glaring at Neil, although his glare seemed a lot more murderous. The rest of the chairs were taken up by Dan, Jean, and Nicky, all looking caught between confusion and curiosity. Riko was conspicuously absent, still away on business. Neil got the feeling that if Riko were there, there wouldn’t have been the need for any deliberations about his fate.

“This is a joke,” Aaron hissed, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “We all know we should kill the human now.”

“Do we?” Andrew asked mildly.

He seemed a lot more relaxed than Aaron, although the bruises around his throat still stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his pale skin.

“This concerns the whole Courtyard,” Kevin said, his voice steely. “So the members of the Courtyard will get a say in what happens next.”

“We’re still waiting for someone to actually explain what happened,” Dan put in.

“What happened is that the human almost got Katelyn killed-” Aaron began.

“He’s the only reason the girl is still alive, you ungrateful-” Andrew interrupted.

“Enough!” Kevin shouted, and the room fell silent once again.

“Neil,” Kevin said slowly. He still hadn’t looked Neil in the eye yet. It was nerve-wracking, not being able to tell exactly how angry Kevin was with him. “Explain what happened. Tell us the whole truth, from the beginning.”

Neil hesitated, glancing at Andrew. Andrew had said not to tell anyone else about his _cassandra sangue_ status; did that order still stand? It seemed pointless to keep it a secret now that Aaron had tasted his blood and everyone knew that Neil was hiding something from them.

“Do not look to Andrew,” Kevin said. “I am the one asking the question.”

“Tell them,” Andrew said, ignoring Kevin completely. “They’ll find out one way or another.”

Neil looked around the table. Kevin and Aaron still looked angry. He couldn’t tell what Renee was thinking. Dan, Nicky, and Jean just looked back expectantly. He hadn’t realized it would hurt so much, telling them that he had been lying this whole time. Somewhere along the way, he had started to care what they thought of him.

Neil licked his cracked lips once. He let his hand drift to his pocket, pressed against the ridges of his keys through the denim. He had a place here. Above all, he wanted to keep that place. If that meant telling the truth, then so be it.

“I haven’t been completely honest with all of you,” he said at last. “The whole story is…complicated.”

Neil wasn’t sure how long he talked. He told them about his mother, his father, the prophecies beneath his skin. He explained how they had run when he was young, how so much of his life had consisted of trying desperately to stay one step ahead of his father. He told them about California, forcing his voice to remain steady through the worst of it. He told them about the men who had broken into his apartment, about how he had known something like that was going to happen again.

He left Andrew out of the story as much as possible. It was obvious by now that Andrew had been involved in the events of the past few hours, but he left out any mention of their deal. There was no need for Kevin to know about Andrew’s plans concerning Riko; it would only make things worse. Instead, he just said that Andrew was the first person he could think to go to when the itching started up again.

When he finally finished speaking, there was a long stretch of silence. Neil couldn’t bring himself to look at the faces around the table, instead staring down at the oak and tracing the patterns of the wood. He didn’t want to see the disappointment or betrayal in anyone else’s eyes.

Kevin was the first to break the silence. “How much did you know?” It was directed at Andrew.

“I knew he was _cassandra sangue_. I tasted it on the first day.”

“And you said nothing?”

“It’s not my job to report to you, Kevin.”

“That is exactly what your fucking job is-” Kevin started, slamming his hand down on the table, but Renee interrupted before he could build up too much steam.

“It doesn’t matter who knew what. What matters now is what we’re going to do with the truth.” She sounded just as mild as she always did. It didn’t make Neil feel any better.

Kevin sighed, turning back to Neil. “You lied to us. You deliberately hid the truth surrounding your identity, knowing that we would not have hired you had we known the reality of the situation.”

Andrew laughed sharply. “Is that the story you’re going with now, Kevin? No human who shows up in the middle of a snowstorm, lies about his name, and begs for a job in a Courtyard is coming from normal circumstances. You knew as well as I did that he was hiding something. You were just willing to overlook it as long as it didn’t interfere with him working at the Liaison Office.”

“Exactly!” Kevin snapped. “I was willing to overlook it as long as it did not interfere. Now, Neil has brought his personal life into the Courtyard.”

“His personal life was a part of the Courtyard the moment you let him move into the Wolf Complex.”

“This is meant to be a discussion,” Renee interrupted again. “Kevin, Andrew, I think we are all aware of your thoughts on the matter. What do the others think?”

“He’s a threat,” Aaron said. “He’s been lying since the start; we should have killed him the moment we realized he was hiding something from us. Katelyn nearly died because of him; who knows how many other people will get hurt because of his secrets?”

“It’s interesting, that your hatred of Neil doesn’t extend to other humans. You seem incredibly worried about the girl’s safety; why is that, Aaron?” Andrew asked. “Just concerned out of the goodness of your heart?”

“You have no right to get mad at me for this, not when you’ve been keeping his secrets since day one. You talk all this shit about keeping things in the family, and then you go and risk everything for a human that’s brought nothing but trouble.”

“I’m the one who sent Katelyn down to the Liaison Office. Do you blame me for her injury as well?” Renee asked.

Aaron flinched at the sound of her voice, his eyes dropping back to his lap and his shoulders tensing. Neil almost felt sorry for him. He still didn’t understand what Renee had done in the office, but Neil had only caught a glimpse of her and felt like he had been punched in the gut. Aaron had stared directly into her eyes.

“You didn’t know what would happen,” Aaron said to his lap. “The human knew that his father’s men would follow him; he knew that the people here would be impacted by his problems.”

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Neil protested. “I didn’t think humans could be a threat to you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Aaron snapped. “You never should have stayed as long as you did, especially after the first break-in.”

“You think he should have left and walked right into his father’s hands?” Dan spoke up for the first time. “Once his father found out where he was, he never would have been able to leave safely.”

“That’s not our problem,” Aaron said.

“I disagree. I think Matt would too. Neil’s a part of the Courtyard now; we care what happens to him.”

“He’s no more a part of the Courtyard-” Aaron began, but Dan cut him off with a growl.

“The Wolves say he is. Will you challenge us?” her voice deepened with the hint of something Other.

“You’re not the leader of the Wolves; Riko is.” Aaron turned to Kevin. “What would he say to all of this?”

Kevin hesitated, looking uncomfortable. “He would want Neil gone.”

“And of course you’ll bow down to whatever Riko wants,” Andrew sneered. “It doesn’t matter that you think Neil should stay. You’ll roll over and follow his every command because you don’t have the spine to think for yourself.”

Kevin stood up abruptly, his eyes flashing. “Do not think you can manipulate me like this. Riko is the Alpha of the Courtyard. You may pretend that you do not follow his orders, but you do not cross him any more than I do. He has indulged you; do not let that confuse you as to who would win if you truly challenged him.”

“I don’t think you’re understanding me, Kevin,” Andrew growled, standing as well. “I’m not sitting here begging for your permission or asking you to reconsider. If you force the human from the Courtyard and he dies, I will consider it an act of war. The shadow of Riko doesn’t scare me the same way it scares you. This isn’t a challenge; this is a warning.”

“That’s enough,” Renee said mildly, traces of red beginning to creep through her hair. Both Andrew and Kevin paused, some of the aggression easing from their stances. “You said this concerned the whole Courtyard, Kevin. If you truly meant that the members of the Courtyard would get a say in your decision, then Riko’s opinion is not relevant at the moment. You are meant to be representing us, not Riko.”

She turned her attention to Neil. He tried to look at her face, but it made his head pound, so he looked away. “I notice that nowhere in this has anyone asked Neil what he wants. Do you want to stay in the Courtyard, Neil? Or would you rather we helped you go somewhere else, safely, where your father would not immediately find you?” The last part seemed more aimed at Aaron than at Neil.

Neil hesitated, considering. Originally, he had sought out the Courtyard because it meant safety from his father. If he could find that safety elsewhere, would he take it? Staying in the Courtyard clearly wasn’t a guarantee that his father couldn’t reach him, and it held its own risks. Riko wanted him dead, and Aaron would probably side with Riko after this. He didn’t know how Kevin felt, but he clearly wasn’t particularly fond of Neil at the moment.

But the Courtyard had more than just danger or a small barrier to his father. It had Matt and Dan and their movie nights. It had Renee’s homemade lunches and Jean’s playful harassment. It had Andrew.

Neil wasn’t sure if he’d ever let himself truly want something other than his own life. But his mother and he had spent half of their lives ignoring everything but survival, and it still hadn’t been enough to protect her in the end. What he had here felt like something more than survival. It felt like something he could fight for. Neil wanted to fight, after spending so much of his time running.

“I want to stay here,” he said at last. “I understand if you don’t want me to. I know I’ve brought danger here, and I swear I never meant for that to happen, and I’ll leave if you decide it isn’t worth the risk. But I would like to stay here.”

Renee nodded, her expression still smooth. “Then we put it to a vote. That is what you originally intended, isn’t it, Kevin?”

Kevin’s jaw flexed but he nodded, sitting back down. A second later Andrew took a seat as well.

Renee looked to Andrew. “I think we’re all aware of your opinion on the matter, but why don’t you speak first.”

“He stays,” Andrew said immediately. “The rest of you can say what you want; he stays.”

Next was Aaron. “He’s a threat. Kill him or send him somewhere else; I don’t care, just get him out of the Courtyard.”

Beside him, Nicky shifted uncomfortably. “Neil lied, but I don’t think he meant for anything to happen to the Courtyard. And he’s good at his job; I don’t think we’ve ever had a Human Liaison who actually does what they were hired to do. I say he stays.”

“The human is entertaining,” Jean said. “And he is good at playing games. The Crows say he stays.”

“You already know what I think,” Dan said. “Matt and Allison would agree with me. He stays.”

Finally, it was Renee’s turn. She looked around the table silently for a moment, and Neil dug his fingers into the outline of his key. If she said he should leave, it would be more than just inconvenient for him. She scared him, but he found that he still wanted her to like him. Her rejection would hurt.

“I think Neil should have been honest with us from the beginning. However, I also believe that not many of us would have been honest had we been in his shoes. His father is dangerous, but he is still a human.” She looked at Kevin. “I have not found the Courtyard to be afraid of humans. I would hope that has not changed. I vote that he stays.”

All eyes turned to Kevin. Neil’s stomach flipped. There had been more votes for him than against him, but Kevin still made the ultimate call. He was the second in command; if he said that Neil had to leave, Neil wasn’t sure there was much that the Others could do.

Kevin met Neil’s eyes, his expression giving away nothing. “Before anything, my responsibility is to the Courtyard. If there is a threat to it, I cannot allow that threat to persist.”

Neil’s stomach dropped.

Kevin looked back to Renee. “But humans are not a threat to us. Sometimes they forget themselves, think that because we allow them to build their cities and live their small lives they are somehow beyond our reach. Such foolishness is understandable, but it cannot go too far. Allowing a human to force our hand into anything would be an unforgivable sign of weakness. Weakness we do not possess.”

Kevin paused again, and this time he looked almost nervous. “Riko is very busy. He has many concerns both inside and outside of the Courtyard. While it is obviously our responsibility to inform him of this new development, there is no reason to needlessly worry him with specific details.

“We will tell him that Neil is _cassandra sangue_. We will tell him that there was a security incident at the Liaison Office and that it was dealt with. Any details about Neil’s father are superfluous.”

“You’re not really going to-” Aaron began, but Kevin cut him off with a glare.

“Andrew. Since you feel so strongly about Neil’s fate, you can be responsible for his safety. The Courtyard will not expend any more resources on this matter, although all trespassers will obviously be dealt with as usual.”

He turned to Dan. “Are you comfortable with Neil remaining at the Wolf Complex?”

“Obviously.”

“Then while he is there, his home security will be your responsibility as well.”

Kevin turned back to address the room as a whole. “I do not think I need to say this, but let me be clear. This conversation does not leave this room. Neil’s true nature will be shared with Riko, and no one else.”

“Matt and Allison deserve to know,” Dan protested.

“Then Neil will be responsible for telling them. The more people we tell, the more likely it is that word gets out to the human world. _Cassandra sangue_ are valuable to more people than just Neil’s father. If we have to worry that every driver or visitor is a potential kidnapper, then nothing will ever get done. Keep the information to yourselves.”

Aaron still looked furious, his jaw clenched and his eyes burning as he glared at Neil. It was hard to be confident that his secret would remain a secret very long, given the way Aaron was looking at him.

“Neil,” Dan said, drawing his attention away. “I’ll drive you home.”

“Andrew-” Neil began before he even realized what he was saying.

“Andrew and Aaron still have some things to work out, I think. Let’s leave them to it.”

Andrew nodded to Neil. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

That, at least, was one order that Neil didn’t think he would have any trouble following. He hadn’t gotten a moment’s rest since he first felt the prophecy; at this point all he wanted to do was sleep.

He followed Dan out of the conference room and into one of the BOWs parked outside. She was probably the first Other he had ever seen drive at a reasonable pace; he didn’t have to grip the handle once out of fear for his life. They made the drive in silence, with Dan focused on the road and Neil fighting to keep his eyes open. He raised a hand to scratch at his bandages, paused, remembered that Andrew was no longer there to glare at him, and began to itch at the skin just below the gauze.

“Stop that,” Dan said absentmindedly, and Neil let his hands fall back to his lap.

When they arrived back at the Wolf Complex, Matt was waiting just in front of the steps, pacing back and forth. He looked up immediately at their arrival and his expression brightened, although it darkened a second later at the sight of the bandages around Neil’s neck.

“Neil!” he said, running forward and pulling Neil into a hug before he was even fully out of the BOW. “What happened? Dan got a mysterious call from Kevin about a Courtyard meeting, but we didn’t know what was going on. Are you okay? Who did this to you?”

“Let him breathe,” Dan said, placing a hand on Matt’s shoulder and preventing him from suffocating Neil.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Neil said once Matt released him from his crushing embrace. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“Neil, that’s not even close to the biggest issue right now. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“He’s getting there,” Dan said when Matt clearly wasn’t satisfied with Neil’s response. “But right now he needs his rest. Neil, is it okay if I tell Matt what happened?”

No one had ever treated his secrets like they were his to give away before. “Yeah, you can tell him whatever you want.”

“But what do _you_ want me to tell him?”

Neil hesitated, looking at Matt’s concerned face. He didn’t want to disappoint any more people by revealing everything he had hidden from them. But Matt deserved to know the truth. Dan being the one to tell him would probably be the least painful way for it to happen.

“Tell him the truth. As much of it as you think Kevin will allow.”

Dan nodded. “Let’s get you to bed. You can worry about everything else in the morning.”

Neil obediently followed Dan and Matt up the stairs to his apartment. It took him a few minutes to remember that he needed to use his keys to get through the door, but the satisfying weight of the keys in his hand as he unlocked it served to relax him just a bit more. Dan took him to his room while Matt hovered in the doorway, making sure he was safely in bed before she flicked off the lights and went to join Matt.

“Get some sleep, Neil. We won’t let anything else happen tonight.” She closed the door, leaving Neil alone for the first time in hours.

He let himself relax into the sheets, all of the tension of the past day slowly beginning to seep from his muscles. He believed Dan, he realized, when she said she wouldn’t let anything else happen that night. He trusted her to watch the apartment and tell Matt what happened and to know the secret he had spent so much of his life trying desperately to protect. He trusted Matt to know, too. He trusted Andrew, had probably trusted him for longer than he’d realized.

His mother would say he was going insane. She would tell him to leave, now, before the attachments he had so recklessly formed got him killed. But the attachments were already there. His father already knew where he was. Running was a temporary solution at best.

And, ignoring all of the logical considerations and the different costs and benefits, Neil _wanted_ to stay. He wanted to keep living so close to Dan and Matt. He wanted to keep working at the Liaison Office and fighting a silent battle over pens with Jean and slowly learning the names of the different drivers. He wanted to build a life here, even if that life only lasted for a few more months before his father inevitably found a way to reach him in the Courtyard. He wanted other people to be a part of that life.

Neil fell asleep still thinking about his newfound desires, allowing himself, for the first time in forever, to imagine actually getting them.


	13. Chapter 13

Neil awoke slowly, blinking his way out of the fog of sleep and staring for a few long, uncomprehending moments at the figure that sat in front of his bed.

“You’re beginning to make a habit of watching me sleep,” he said, his voice raspy from disuse.

“And you’re beginning to make a habit of almost dying. I’d say one is worse than the other.” Andrew looked up from where he’d been examining his nails, leaning forward to get a closer look at Neil’s neck. “Have you had anything to eat yet?”

Neil shook his head, the world spinning a little at the movement.

“You lost a lot of blood; you should eat.” Andrew stood abruptly and headed towards the kitchen.

Neil lay in bed for a moment longer, processing. Waking up to Andrew was a disconcerting moment of déjà vu, but the circumstances were so different now. Before, he had been terrified. Now, seeing Andrew in his room was a comfort.

When Neil entered the kitchen, Andrew was already standing by the stove, making what looked like an omelet. Neil hadn’t even known there were eggs in his apartment.

“The contents of your refrigerator are genuinely pathetic,” Andrew said, not looking up from the frying pan. “Have you changed your bandages yet?”

“No, I was going to do that after I showered.”

“Go shower now,” Andrew told him.

Neil obediently returned to his room and began to change. He paused in front of the mirror after unwrapping the bandages, pressing gently at the skin around his neck. Thousands of tiny scabs had formed around his throat, following the pattern of two handprints. He would probably have to wear scarves for a while to avoid any uncomfortable questions from Wymack or the other drivers.

Even ignoring the scars, he barely recognized himself. The dye was almost entirely gone from his hair, leaving him with the auburn color that he hadn’t allowed to grow naturally for years. His face looked fuller, too; he hadn’t realized how thin he was until he suddenly began to eat regularly. He had thought that his natural appearance might be too painful, that he might stare into the mirror and see his father watching back. But the man he faced now was someone new.

When Neil had finished showering and gotten dressed, Andrew was waiting in the kitchen with two plates of steaming omelets.

“Do you eat?” Neil blurted out, surprised.

Andrew looked at him as if he was regretting ever saving his life. “Yes, Neil, I eat.”

“I just, I thought maybe _Sanguinati_ only needed blood.”

“Humans don’t need chocolate, and yet you all seem to indulge yourselves in that. Blood gets boring after a while.”

Neil nodded, sitting down at the table and immediately digging into the omelet. He was halfway through it when he realized that Andrew was still standing, watching him.

“What is it?”

“How’s your neck?”

Neil brought up a hand to the bandages automatically, tugging at them. “I’m fine.”

“One day you’re going to say that and I’m going to kill you.”

Neil shrugged. “It’s true. How’s your neck?”

Andrew scowled. “Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not. Aaron nearly strangled you too.”

Andrew’s scowl deepened at the mention of his brother.

Neil hesitated. “Is Aaron going to be a problem?”

“We discussed it. We’ve come to an agreement, concerning humans and certain attachments to them.”

Neil wasn’t really sure what Andrew meant by that, but he got the feeling that the Other wouldn’t be particularly inclined to explain further. “So he’s not going to go to Riko about me the second he gets back?”

“Not if he values Katelyn’s continued survival.”

“Why did he care so much about her anyway?”

Andrew stared at him for a moment. “I thought at first it was part of the façade, but you really are this stupid, aren’t you? I’d like to think it’s because your unique childhood prevented you from understanding relationships, but I think that might be giving you too much credit.”

Neil shrugged, returning to his omelet. “Guess you’re stuck with me now.”

“Unfortunately,” Andrew sighed, finally taking a seat and starting in on his own meal.

They ate in silence, and when Andrew finished he slid something small and black across the table to Neil. Neil caught it automatically, looking down to see a small flip phone.

“What’s this?”

“Even you can recognize a phone, Neil.”

“But what’s it for?”

“Next time you’re in danger, you call me first. And if I’m not available, you try one of the Wolves who are so fond of you for some reason. I already programmed my number in.”

Neil traced a finger along the hard plastic surface. His mother and he had used the occasional burner phone, but they were rarely apart long enough for him to need to use one. He wasn’t used to having someone he could call for help.

“Why are you fighting so hard to protect me?”

Instead of answering, Andrew grabbed Neil’s plate and his own, taking them over to the sink and beginning to wash them. For a few moments there was only the sound of running water, and when Andrew finished he didn’t return to his seat. Neil stood and followed after him, situating himself so that he was between the counter and Andrew and impossible to ignore.

“Andrew.”

“I keep my promises,” Andrew said, expression giving away nothing.

“Is that all this is?”

“What do you want from me, Neil?”

Neil stared at him for a moment, his heart beginning to beat faster. “Probably more than I can have.”

The words hung in the air, the moment catching and the tension growing until it seemed like something almost physical hovering between them, just on the edge of breaking.

Andrew moved forward suddenly, pressing Neil into the counter and catching his mouth in a kiss. Neil stood frozen for a second, but when Andrew began to shift back Neil moved forward with him, finally beginning to move his mouth. Neil’s hands hovered above Andrew’s shoulders, unsure, but then he felt Andrew’s tongue against his mouth and he let them drop, opening his lips to Andrew and letting the other man press him further into the hard edge of the sink.

Neil was just beginning to feel dizzy from lack of air when Andrew broke away, breathing hard. Neal leaned forward to chase after him, but Andrew held him back with a palm at his chest.

“Why’d you stop?” Neil asked. The words came out more plaintive than he had intended.

“You nearly died yesterday. You’re not in a place to be jumping into something like this so soon.” Andrew’s hand still didn’t leave Neil’s chest.

“I’ve almost died plenty of times.”

Andrew’s hand clenched in the fabric of Neil’s shirt. “You’re not helping your case.”

“I don’t- do you not want to?”

Andrew blew out a heavy breath and raised his eyes upwards. “That is not the problem here.”

“Then what is?”

“Do you know what Dan and Matt would do to me if they thought I hurt you?”

“We both know you’re not afraid of Dan or Matt; that’s a bullshit excuse. Besides, you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“You have too much faith in me.”

“Maybe they don’t have enough.”

Andrew finally released Neil’s shirt, taking a few steps away. “We’re not doing anything else today.”

Neil ignored the way his heart leaped at ‘today.’ Instead, he straightened up, trying to look as unaffected as Andrew did. “Fine. But we are going to talk more about this.”

“You can say that if it makes you feel better. I’m going to go back to Howling Good Reads and remind Kevin that I’m still a co-owner.”

Neil’s eyes darted to the clock at the reminder of Kevin, the sudden realization sinking in. “Oh, shit, I have work this morning!”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Nicky volunteered to cover for you today. Kevin is an asshole, but even he wouldn’t expect you to come into work after yesterday. If he did, Dan would probably kill him herself.”

“Why is everyone making such a big deal out of yesterday? I’m not traumatized.”

“No, you’re clearly perfectly well-adjusted.”

“I’m not traumatized from _that_ , then. I can still go into work for the afternoon shift.” Neil didn’t voice the real reason behind his insistence. He wasn’t sure what he would do with an entire afternoon to himself, after everything that had happened.

“Neil. You’re not working today.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“What do humans normally do with their free time? Read a book. Watch a movie. Get some sleep; you could obviously still use it.”

Andrew didn’t look like he was budging anytime soon, and Neil doubted he would have better luck with Kevin. He sighed, throwing himself onto the couch and trying not to look too much like a pouting child.

“I hope you realize that this is completely unnecessary,” he said. “I’m fine.”

Andrew looked entirely unsympathetic. “You can go in tomorrow and fix whatever mess Nicky will have made. Just don’t do anything stupid until then.”

He headed towards the door, pausing just before he left the apartment. “I gave you the phone for a reason, Neil. If something goes wrong, call me.”

Andrew waited until Neil grunted out his assent before he exited, leaving behind a heavy silence. Neil watched the door for a few moments, caught himself rubbing his fingers along his still buzzing lips, and quickly drew his hand away.

He had never kissed anyone before. He had never really wanted to. His mother had never kept them in one place long enough for him to form any attachments, and a fling had never seemed worth the risk. He had seen too many prophecies, violence and sex nearly constantly interwoven in the requests that required a blood prophet, for it to feel like something a child could have. He had always been afraid that he might try to hold someone and only feel the bodies of the hundreds of people he had bled for and never even met.

It hadn’t felt like that with Andrew. There had been no chance of forgetting who he was, who he was with. It still seemed strange, to associate those feelings of safety with Andrew. Most people, including Andrew himself, would probably tell Neil that he was insane. His mother certainly would. But she didn’t seem so close, here. All of her lessons and warnings put together weren’t enough to navigate the Courtyard.

Someone pounded on the door of his apartment and Neil startled so hard he nearly fell off the couch. He scrambled to his feet and over to the door. Had Andrew come back? Was something else wrong?

“Andrew?” he asked as he opened the door.

“Guess again; I’m much better.” Allison leaned against the door frame, popping a bright pink piece of gum in her mouth.

“What are you doing here?”

“Wow, Neil, I’m loving the enthusiasm.”

“Sorry. I just- what are you doing here?”

“We’re having another movie night,” Allison said, shoving her way into the apartment when he didn’t invite her inside.

“But it’s the middle of the morning.”

“Are all humans so pedantic or is that just one of your many wonderful quirks? Movie morning, whatever.”

“Don’t Dan and Matt have work?”

“They do, which is why you’ll be getting the pleasure of my undiluted company. Seth’s, too, if he ever decides to get his head out of his ass.”

“You don’t want me to be left alone.” It was too much of a coincidence, Allison showing up only a few minutes after Andrew had left. Hopefully, she didn’t know exactly what the two of them had been doing before her arrival. “Was this Kevin’s idea?”

“Not everything in life is a conspiracy, Neil,” Allison said, opening his cabinets and then shutting them again when she apparently didn’t find what she was looking for. “But it was Dan’s idea. Do you seriously not have any popcorn?”

“I don’t need to be constantly watched, you know. I’m fine.”

“Not even chips? Neil, what do you eat?”

“I don’t even have a television. Where would we watch it?”

“My apartment, obviously. I guess we’ll have to use my snack food as well.” Allison headed to the door, then paused when she saw that Neil wasn’t following. “Neil, just play along, okay? I still don’t know exactly what went down, but you had Dan and Matt worried sick. Watch a rom-com with me so that I can reassure them that you’re not out dying in a ditch somewhere.”

Neil resented being treated like a child, but he wasn’t really sure what else there was to do. Watching a movie with Allison at least sounded more appealing than sitting alone in his apartment and contemplating what had happened with Andrew.

“Fine,” he grumbled, grabbing his keys and following her out the door. “But can we please not watch a rom-com?”

“Aw, Neil, it’s cute that you still think you have a choice in this sort of thing.”

\---

Allison waited until they were about half an hour into _Sanguinati in the City_ before giving up all pretenses of being primarily interested in the movie.

“Dan told me that she didn’t want to talk about what happened yesterday without your permission. I’m not saying you have to tell me or give her permission. But I’d appreciate at least some hint as to why everyone has been freaking out.”

Neil hesitated. It would be easier if Dan were here to explain things like she’d done with Matt. But Allison deserved the truth as well, and he would almost prefer talking about his past to another hour of watching bad actors with stick-on fangs pretend to drink from each other. The worst part wasn’t even the movie’s quality; it was the fact that the horrible special effects and clunky dialogue still made him think of Andrew.

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m on Neil duty until Matt gets home from work. I’ve got nothing but time.”

Neil took one last bite of popcorn to buy himself some time and then started talking. It went quicker this time. He skipped over the worst parts, giving just enough information so that Allison could understand why his father had sent men after him in the first place. Unfortunately, there was one area Allison wasn’t so willing to let him skim over.

“Why did you go to Andrew?”

“He was the only person who knew I was _cassandra sangue_.”

“He’s still the last person most people would consider going to for help. I’m surprised he didn’t throw you to your father’s men himself. Although, he has always been weird about you.”

Neil forced himself not to straighten at the words. “Weird how?”

“I don’t know, weird like, ‘doesn’t seem to want you as dead as he wants everyone else’, weird. Not to mention him showing up at your apartment this morning. What was that about, anyway?”

“He just wanted to see if I was okay.”

“See? Weird.”

Neil lapsed into silence, taking another bite of his popcorn. Why _did_ Andrew care so much about his safety? There was obviously their deal concerning Riko, but that didn’t explain everything. It didn’t explain the kissing. He wished he could ask someone about it, but there was no way to frame it subtly. What was he supposed to say? ‘What does it mean if a guy who claims he can’t stand you almost kills his brother for you and then makes out with you? Hypothetically, of course.’

On screen, the blond actress was tearfully confessing her feelings to the actor who was supposed to be a _Sanguinati_. One of the fake fangs was glued on crooked, and the red dye that coated his mouth was too watery to be mistaken for real blood. The actress said something about eternal life, and Allison snorted.

“This is such bullshit. Humans shouldn’t make movies about Others when they still believe myths like that.”

“So you don’t live forever?”

“Not _Sanguinati_. Not Wolves either. Those of us who live forever don’t feel much of a need to mingle with humans. The Courtyards are for the younger _terra indigene._ ”

Neil considered this for a moment, trying to think of other myths he had heard. “And you’re not more powerful on the full moon?”

Allison bared her teeth in a grin. “There are certain times of the month when I’m more dangerous, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the moon.”

“What about the _Sanguinati_? Are they actually dead? No heartbeat?”

“If the Sanguinati were dead, Andrew would be a lot more bearable. Unfortunately, their hearts work just fine.”

“And I guess you don’t all go around falling in love with humans.”

“We’re a lot more likely to eat you than movies like this would suggest. Although you may prove the exception, Neil.”

There was no way Allison didn’t hear the way Neil’s heart began to pound at the words. “What?”

“I think Matt and Dan would both mutually leave each other if they thought they had a chance with you.”

Neil forced himself to laugh. A joke. It was a joke. Obviously, what else would Allison have said?

“I’d rather not interfere with a relationship like that,” he said.

Allison squinted at him for a moment. “I hope you realize how cool I’m being for not grilling you right now.”

“I appreciate it.”

Neil pretended to watch the movie again, and Allison, thankfully, let him.

\---

Neil spent the rest of the day cycling through movies with Allison. Seth joined them for lunch at about one, but he and Allison were so busy exchanging equal parts barbs and flirtations that Neil was able to silently fade into the background. Seth, unlike the other Wolves, seemed perfectly happy to know as little about Neil as possible. Neil couldn’t say he minded.

Neil had been right in his initial theory that they didn’t want to leave him alone. When Dan and Matt got home they insisted that he join them in their apartment for dinner. He still vaguely resented being treated like a traumatized child, but he couldn’t turn up his nose at the free food. He had been eating so much ramen over the past few weeks that he could practically feel his body rejoice at the first sign of a vegetable.

His eyes were already drooping by the end of the meal, the stress of the past day still wreaking havoc on his body. Dan took pity on him after his fourth muffled yawn and sent him home, and Neil was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

\---

Neil couldn't concentrate at work the next morning. Given the events of the past day, he would say that he had a pretty good excuse for being distracted. He had almost been killed, after all, and his place in the Courtyard was still tenuous at best. Matt and Jean, at least, seemed to be willing to forgive Neil for his absentmindedness. Matt kept on watching Neil when he thought he wasn't looking, frowning like if he concentrated hard enough he would be able to make Neil feel better again. Jean didn't even steal the pen from him once. If he had been more aware, he probably would have appreciated it.

Neil had every reason to be distracted, but it wasn't his near-death experience that kept stealing away his focus. Every time the door opened, he would look up instantly, body tensing, on high alert. But he wasn't looking for one of his father's men to walk through the door. He was looking for Andrew.

It was stupid to be so tense. Andrew had never visited him at work before; there was no reason to expect things to change just because they had- Neil frowned down at the counter. Hooked up wasn’t the right word. Made out sounded childish. He couldn’t think of a way to label it without dismissing what it had been to him or making it into more than what it must have been for Andrew.

Neil was so out of it that he didn’t realize Wymack had entered the office until the older man cleared his throat, sliding the clipboard across the counter to him. “You doing alright, Neil?”

“I’m fine,” Neil said, forcing a smile. “Sorry about that.”

Wymack’s eyes narrowed and Neil realized that he was looking at his neck. Neil tugged up the collar of his sweater where it had slipped somewhat to reveal the edge of a white bandage. Wymack frowned, his eyes not leaving Neil’s neck as he filled out the form.

“I’ll go unload those packages now,” he said. “Look out for yourself, Neil.”

He tapped the form hard just before he left. Neil looked down to see a phone number written in cramped handwriting along the edge of the paper. His throat suddenly felt tight, and this time it wasn’t the bandages.

“Was he bothering you?” Matt asked.

Neil cleared his throat. “No, he was just worried, I think.” He glanced at Matt’s bare chest. “You should probably change back; most of the drivers aren’t going to come in if they see a naked guy guarding the place.”

Matt frowned, concerned, but shifted back after a moment. Neil tried to do a better job of paying attention after that, smiling at all the drivers that came in and very carefully keeping the bandages out of sight. The last thing he needed was someone reporting the Courtyard to the police for human abuse. Although he doubted the police would be able to do anything about it even if someone did say something.

At twelve, Neil flipped the sign on the door to closed and Matt and Jean left. Neil waited by the counter for a few minutes, and then suddenly remembered that Katelyn wouldn’t be coming by like usual. The guilt that settled heavily in his gut was still unfamiliar. Life had been a lot less complicated before he started caring about so many people.

Just as Neil was contemplating whether he should head over to the café on his own, there was a light knock on the back door. Renee entered a second later, carrying a steaming bowl of soup which she set down on the counter in front of Neil.

“It’s been getting colder; I figured you could use something to warm you up.”

Neil nodded his thanks and blew carefully on the soup. As always it smelled delicious. Renee leaned against the counter beside him, clearly settling in for the next few minutes.

Neil took a few sips of the soup before the question nagging at his mind couldn’t be held back any longer. “Is Katelyn okay?”

“She’s fine. Recovering, so I gave her a few days off. You could probably use a few more days off yourself.”

“I prefer to work.”

Renee smiled. “Somehow I’m not surprised.”

Neil hesitated. “Is she- I mean, does she-” He had never worried about what someone thought of him when they didn’t have any power over him before.

Renee’s eyes softened. “She doesn’t blame you. She told me that you’re the reason she’s still alive.”

“I’m also the reason she was in danger in the first place.”

“Working at the Courtyard has its own risks. Katelyn was aware of that when I hired her on.”

“Yeah, but she seemed to be doing fine before I got here.”

“Katelyn had her own problems before you got here, Neil. She was just doing a better job of hiding them. If anything, what happened two days ago brought things out into the open. She’s probably in less danger now. From Andrew, at least.”

Andrew had also implied that he and Aaron had made a deal concerning Katelyn. Aaron’s concern for Katelyn didn’t make sense unless the waitress meant something to him. And Katelyn had implied that there was more keeping her in the Courtyard than just the good pay.

“What’s going on between Katelyn and Aaron?” he asked.

“It’s really not my business.”

“Why does Andrew care, then? He and his brother don’t seem particularly close.”

“Andrew gets territorial. You have a lot of experience with that, I think.”

There didn’t seem to be a point in denying it. It had always seemed like Andrew was closer with Renee than he was with the others; it wasn’t surprising that she had noticed something. What exactly she had noticed, Neil wasn’t sure.

“He just doesn’t like Riko,” Neil said after a moment’s pause. “And Riko doesn’t like me, so I’m a good way to get to Riko.”

“If that’s how you choose to look at it.” Renee almost sounded like she was laughing at him.

Again, Neil wished he could ask someone about what had happened with Andrew. Renee would probably be less shocked than Allison, Dan, or Matt, but it still wasn’t just Neil’s secret to give away. He found it doubtful that Andrew would want anyone else to know about what they had done. And while Neil was confused, he wasn’t sure he did either. It was nice to have a secret that wasn’t deadly, for a change.

“I’m just being realistic,” he said. “Andrew finds me irritating; he hasn’t exactly tried to hide it.”

“I never said he didn’t. But usually, when Andrew finds people irritating, he tends to avoid them. Not go out of his way to save their lives.”

Neil shrugged. “Like I said, it’s about Riko.”

Renee stared at him for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. “This is almost sad. I’d say something, but Andrew could stand to learn a little patience when it comes to getting what he wants.”

Neil ignored her and focused on his soup. He was getting used to _terra indigene_ and their cryptic comments at this point. If his life wasn’t in danger, there was no use worrying about it. Sometimes he got the feeling they just liked sounding mysterious.

Renee sat with him until he finished eating and then took back the bowl, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Hang in there, Neil. I’m sure the two of you will learn how to talk about your feelings sometime in the next century.”

She was gone before Neil could ask her what she meant. Somehow, he didn’t think her clarification would have helped.


	14. Chapter 14

Three days after the attack, Neil was sorting packages in the storeroom and trying once again not to think about Andrew. It was getting ridiculous at this point. He was sure the Other didn’t spend nearly as much time thinking about Neil as Neil spent thinking about him. When Andrew thought about Neil, it was in terms of their deal. Now that others in the Courtyard knew Neil’s secrets, he probably spent even less time thinking about him.

He shouldn’t have been letting it bother him; he had work to do. Neil had taken the BOW out yesterday, so there weren’t enough new packages to justify another run. He had gotten two new packages addressed to Howling Good Reads, though, and he could use a brief break from the office, so he decided to deliver them on foot. Maybe he could see Kevin and get an idea of how the Wolf felt about him at the moment.

There were more people than usual milling around the bookstore. Most of them still didn’t seem to be making any purchases, but Neil supposed the store’s purpose wasn’t really to make a profit. Dan was manning the cash register, but she was busy talking to one of the few customers who actually appeared to want to buy a book, so Neil hung back near the entrance to let her finish.

“Nearly dead a few days ago and already hard at work. No wonder Kevin was willing to lie to Riko for you.”

Neil jumped, spinning around to face Andrew. The Other smirked at his reaction, not moving from where he was leaning against the back wall.

“What are you doing here?”

“Haven’t we gone over this before? I technically half-own the place.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you ever actually did any work here.”

Andrew spread his arms. “Do I look like I’m doing any work?”

“You look like you’re standing around harassing your employees. Have you just been waiting here to scare someone?”

“The humans would probably pay me to do it. That’s why they come here, after all, for the thrill of saying they survived an encounter with an Other.”

“Why aren’t you bothering them, then?”

“What’s the matter, Neil? I thought you liked my company.”

Neil could feel his face begin to heat. He adjusted his grip on the packages so that they formed a sort of barrier between himself and Andrew, as if that would be enough to block the sound of his thumping heart.

“You’re not altruistic enough to hang around just for my sake.”

“So you admit you like my company.”

Neil jutted his chin out. “And you indulge me, I suppose?”

Andrew shrugged, pushing himself off the wall and past Neil. “Looks like Dan’s free now. You better get back to work, remind us why we keep you around.”

Neil watched him leave, flexing his fingers around the packages. What was the point of that interaction? Andrew had never gone out of his way to talk to Neil before. This conversation had only lasted a few minutes, but it was still strange to have a purely social interaction with Andrew.

Someone slammed the door of the store and Neil’s thoughts returned to the present. Dan was indeed finished with the customer, so he brought the packages over to the counter and set them down.

“What was that about?” Dan asked, ignoring the packages.

“What was what about?”

Dan rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me, Neil. What were you talking to Andrew about?”

“Nothing, he was just saying hi.”

“Since when does Andrew just say hi?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Dan’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on with you two anyway? Allison said he was at your apartment the morning after everything happened.”

“Why don’t you ask Andrew about any of this?”

“Andrew’s not my friend; you are.”

“I am?”

Dan stared at him for a second. “God, Neil, don’t say stuff like that around Matt; he’ll start crying. Obviously, you’re our friend.”

Neil nodded, looking down at the packages. “I- you’re my friend, too. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

Dan waved him off. “Don’t hurt yourself trying to show an emotion. I’ll take these up to Kevin when I get the chance. Thanks for dropping them off.”

Neil nodded again and turned to go back to the office. He very carefully didn’t look around the store to see if Andrew was still there. At least his conversation with Dan had given him something else to think about. Friendship was a relationship he could at least try to navigate. Whatever Andrew wanted from him, Neil didn’t think friendship was it.

\---

It stormed again over the weekend, leaving the entire Courtyard covered in another layer of thick snow. After only an hour of sitting around his apartment, Neil began to get restless, so he pulled on a pair of sweats and tennis shoes that looked at least somewhat snow proof and headed out for a jog.

Neil was pretty sure that at this point he had free range over most of the Inner Courtyard. He both worked and lived there, and most people knew who he was. He didn’t particularly feel like seeing the Liaison Office today, so instead he followed the road that wrapped around the Wolf Complex and passed by the Corvine and the Chambers. He very carefully did not consider the possibility that he might run into Andrew.

It was even colder than he had expected, and after about fifteen minutes Neil began to regret not bringing a heavier coat. He had thought the movement would keep him warm, but the wind chill was beginning to make him lose feeling in his hands. He tried tucking them underneath his armpits as he ran, but that only led to an awkward, stumbling gait that he was thankful no one was around to see. He considered going back to his apartment, but he was almost to the Chambers by that point and it seemed like a waste to turn back now. Not that Neil had any expectations about what he would find.

He slowed to a walk outside the Chambers, purely because his legs were beginning to get tired. When a cloud of black smoke drifted from behind the gates and came to a stop in front of him, Neil couldn’t even generate any surprise. Andrew formed a second later, not looking very pleased with him.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was going on a run.”

Andrew stared at him for a second. “You were going on a run.”

“Am I not allowed to do that?”

“You spend your entire life running from your father, and the moment you have a bit of safety, you decide to run recreationally? Your sanity becomes more questionable by the day.”

Neil blew on his hands, jogging in place to keep the blood flowing through his legs. “So I’ve been told. Why do you care?”

“I promised I would protect you. That deal didn’t end when Kevin found out about what you are.”

“And I need protection right now?”

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking the Courtyard is tame just because some of its inhabitants are fond of you. There are still plenty of Others view you as nothing more than a quick snack.”

“And how do you view me?”

Andrew’s mouth twisted. “As an annoyance.”

“And yet you keep starting conversations with me.” Neil hesitated, considering his next words for a moment, and then forged ahead. “If you’re so worried about my safety, come guard me in my apartment. I’m sure nothing bad will happen to me there.”

If he really wanted to figure out what was going on between him and Andrew, getting him alone seemed like the best bet. And Neil would prefer that their conversation happen somewhere where it didn’t feel like his fingers were about to freeze off.

Andrew stared at him for a moment. “Do you have an active death wish?”

“It’s been suggested a few times.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Go back to your apartment.”

“And you’ll meet me there?”

“I guess you’ll find out once you get back to your apartment.”

It was the best Neil was going to get, so he nodded and began the run back. He forced himself to keep up the same steady pace he had used in the first half of his run; there was no reason for Andrew to think Neil was rushing back to him. When he reached his apartment, trying to unlock the door with numb hands three times before finally succeeding, Andrew was already waiting for him on the couch.

“Do you not have any comfortable seating in the Chambers? Is that why you’re always so eager to use mine?”

“You’re the one who asked me to come here, Neil.”

“Yes. And you came.”

“Most humans aren’t so eager to invite a predator into their home.”

Neil kicked off his shoes, moving over to stand directly above Andrew. Andrew tilted his head up slowly to meet his gaze, his eyes giving away nothing.

“Do you want me to be afraid of you?”

“You should be.”

Neil wet his lips. “I’m not very good at doing what I’m supposed to.”

Andrew’s jaw flexed. A second later his hands were on Neil’s shirt, pulling him down until Neil half-fell into his lap, twisting until he was kneeling above him with his knees on either side of Andrew’s thighs. Neil reached out automatically, one hand going to the couch behind Andrew’s head and the other going to his shoulder.

“You’re infuriating,” Andrew growled out before pulling him down into a kiss.

Their teeth clacked together awkwardly when their lips first made contact, but Andrew wrapped a hand in Neil’s hair and adjusted his head until it was smoother. This was different than the first time, Neil’s face still so cold from the snow that it felt like Andrew was burning beneath him. Neil opened his mouth to Andrew’s tongue, trying to keep up as the Other pulled Neil tighter against him. Andrew’s hand twisted in his hair, and Neil tried and failed to muffle a tiny groan at the sensation.

After a minute Andrew used his grip on Neil’s hair to pull them apart by a few inches. Neil fought to catch his breath, staring into Andrew’s blown-wide eyes.

“You really don’t have any survival instincts,” Andrew murmured.

“Last time you said we had to stop because I’d almost died. I think it’s safe to say I’m over that,” Neil said, leaning forward to press a kiss to the corner of Andrew’s jaw.

Andrew’s other hand dropped to grip Neil’s thigh, tightening when Neil opened his mouth against his skin. Neil turned so that their mouths met again, Andrew’s tongue slick against his. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest, so loud that Andrew would probably have been able to hear it even if he were human.

Neil shifted forward, their chests pressing together, and for a second he felt the hard heat of Andrew against his thigh before Andrew shoved him off.

Neil tumbled backward, catching himself on the edge of the couch just before he would have sprawled to the floor.

“What’s your problem?” he demanded, standing up fully and taking a step back.

“I don’t appear to be the one who has a problem.”

“You obviously do; you’re the one who keeps kissing me and then freaking out before it can go anywhere.”

“’Before it can go anywhere.’ You sound like a child.”

“I’m not fragile; I won’t break the moment things get a bit more intense.”

“How many people have even touched you besides your mother?”

Neil flinched back. “That’s not the point right now.”

“That’s exactly the point. I’m not going to be responsible for traumatizing you further.”

“And I don’t get a say in that?”

“I’ve protected you, Neil. Somewhere in that deranged brain of yours, you began to associate me with safety. That doesn’t mean you actually want this.”

“Dan and Matt protect me. I don’t have any urges to do this with them.”

Andrew closed his eyes. “You’re making this more painful than it needs to be.”

“Not everything needs to be painful.”

“Things are always going to be painful when you expect more than you can have.”

“I don’t expect anything,” Neil snapped. “I know you aren’t going to declare your love for me any time soon. You can act like I don’t have any experience, but I’ve seen this hundreds of times. I’ve been feeling people fuck since before I knew what it was.”

“Do you really think this is helping your case? Half of those visions probably ended with one or both of the people dying. I’m not the person to teach you how real relationships work.”

“But I’m not expecting a relationship! I know I don’t mean that much to you; that doesn’t mean we can’t keep doing this.”

Andrew leaned back against the couch, running a hand across his face. “Idiot,” he muttered, but he seemed to be talking more to himself.

“I just like this,” Neil said, trying to sound as unemotional as possible. “I won’t get attached. We can just do this.”

Andrew sighed heavily. “Why do you even want this?”

“I don’t know; why did you want to kiss me that first time? I just do.”

Andrew still didn’t seem convinced. “This only ends badly.”

“Not that many things end well. I’d rather enjoy it while it lasts.”

Andrew considered him for another moment and then stood up abruptly. Neil tried to ignore the way his heart began to sink as Andrew headed to the door.

“If we do this, it doesn’t mean anything,” Andrew said as he paused in the doorway. “No feelings involved. And no one else finds out.”

“Yeah, of course-” Neil began, but Andrew was already out the door.

Neil let himself fall back onto the couch, still staring at the door. They were really going to do this. The thrill he felt was purely physical; he felt nothing for Andrew beyond this inexplicable attraction. No feelings. Easy.

\---

Matt caught a ride with Neil into work the next morning, but he kept sneaking looks at Neil out of the corner of his eye and frowning to himself. After the third time, Neil pulled the BOW over to the side of the road and turned to face him.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”

“Like what?”

“Come on, Matt.”

Matt shrugged, still frowning. “It’s nothing. You just- you’re acting strange, is all.”

“No I’m not. Acting strange how?”

“I don’t know, just…strange. Like you’re happy and scared all at once.”

“I’m not happy or scared about anything. I’m just going to work.”

“Okay,” Matt said, but it was clear from his tone that he didn’t believe Neil.

“Seriously, nothing’s different. I just had a good weekend, is all. And now I’m ready to get back to work.”

“I thought humans were supposed to hate work.”

“I like having something productive to do. What about you, do you like work?”

Matt laughed. “I wouldn’t call it work. I just hang out with you in the office in the morning and then help Dan and Kevin with whatever they need. Jobs are a pretty human concept; we just do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.”

“And you don’t mind spending your mornings guarding me?”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Neil, I nearly had to fight Dan for the privilege of doing it. It’s not like I drew the short straw here.”

Neil wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he put the BOW back in drive and drove them the rest of the way to the office in silence. Matt remained human for the first twenty minutes or so, chatting with Neil about the latest TV series he and Dan had started over the weekend, and only transformed a minute or so before Wymack arrived. Neil got the feeling that Matt had been waiting to hear the familiar sounds of his truck before taking on the appearance of ‘menacing guard Wolf.’

Neil made sure to smile extra brightly at Wymack that morning. The older man still looked concerned and kept sneaking glances at Neil’s neck, but Neil had taken off the bandages over the weekend and a black scarf hid the remaining scabs.

Mondays were relatively busy days for the office, which Neil was thankful for. It gave him less time to think about Andrew. Not that he was thinking about Andrew. Andrew had made it clear that the thing between them was purely physical, and obviously Neil felt the same way. His mind just happened to wander, sometimes, and more often than not it would wander towards Andrew. The steady influx of drivers gave him something to focus on.

Renee brought over his lunch again that day, although she didn’t linger to chat. She did mention that Katelyn was working at the café again, which Neil was glad to hear. He definitely couldn’t fault her for not wanting to return to the Liaison Office right away, even if she claimed she didn’t hold anything against him.

About midway through the afternoon, after Neil had given the ponies their mail and sorted the packages for his next trip in the BOW, he began to run out of things to occupy himself with. Nicky had warned him, when he first took the job, that he would be bored a lot of the time, but Neil hadn’t really believed him. He’d never had the luxury of being bored before.

Neil was just beginning to consider going over to Howling Good Reads and asking Dan if he could borrow a book when the exterior door slammed open. Neil looked up from where he had been re-reading the addresses of some of the boxes, his first, traitorous instinct to look for Andrew.

It wasn’t Andrew. It was Riko, looking more like a predator than Kevin or Andrew ever had, staring Neil down as if he were his next meal. The fear that rose to the back of Neil’s throat still wasn’t enough to rival his fear of his father, but it was close.

Riko moved forward, steadily boxing Neil in against the back wall. Neil did his best not to back down but eventually stumbled back until he was pressed firmly against the cool stone.

“Neil Josten,” Riko said, drawing the name out. “Kevin told me the funniest little story about you.”

Neil kept silent. His mouth had already gotten him in trouble once before; there was no need to antagonize the Wolf when it was just the two of them.

“Would you like to know what he told me?”

“It seems like you’d like to tell me.” Neil winced almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. So much for appearing subservient.

“He told me you were _cassandra sangue_. A blood prophet, right here in our humble Courtyard. It seems strange, that you would leave out such an important detail during your job interview.”

“I didn’t think it was relevant. It doesn’t impact my ability to do my job.”

“You could have listed it as a qualification. A few drops of blood and you can tell us the contents of our mail before opening it.”

Neil bit the inside of his cheek to keep from making another sarcastic reply.

“It seems a little strange to me, that you would seek out a job here. I was under the impression that most _cassandra sangue_ were kept away from the outside world. For your own safety, of course. I’ve never heard of one living on its own.”

“First time for everything, I guess.”

“And you really don’t have anyone out there worrying for you? No one looking for you? No family to go back to, not even a father?”

There was no way Riko missed the way Neil’s breath caught at the last word. Riko smiled, baring his teeth, and leaned in even closer.

“They say a _cassandra sangue_ ’s blood is like a drug. That it can double your strength, give you power even the _terra indigene_ don’t have.”

“I’ve also heard it can drive Others insane,” Neil replied.

“I’ve always had excellent self-control. How much do you think it would take for me to lose that? A few drops? A pint? Would I have to rip your throat out to start feeling it?”

“The question is how fast-acting it would be.”

Neil closed his eyes, letting his body slump against the wall in relief at the sound of Andrew’s voice. Riko turned his head to glare at him, not moving away from Neil.

“It would have to be nearly instantaneous,” Andrew continued, “to kick in before I killed you myself.”

“Kevin lets you get away with too much,” Riko growled, finally moving away from Neil and turning to face Andrew. “Try to challenge me; see how quickly you die.”

“I’m not challenging anyone. I’m telling you what will happen if you hurt the human. Go to Kevin and tell him that I threatened you. Make sure to include all the details. See which side your second in command will take.”

“Kevin wouldn’t dare cross me.”

“How far are you willing to push his loyalty?”

Riko’s nostrils flared, and for a second Neil thought he might lunge at Andrew, but then his face smoothed over once again. “I know I have been absent from the Courtyard a lot in the past few months. Perhaps too often. But my business is almost completed. Once everything is finished, order will be restored.” He glanced at Neil, and then back to Andrew. “Think carefully about where you would like to be in the new order.”

He left, shoving past Andrew on his way out. Neil waited until he was completely gone before he let himself draw in a breath. His heart still felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. Riko had referenced his father. There was something about the deliberate way he said it, the way he had seemed to know the fear it would inspire in Neil. He had to know something.

“Did he hurt you?” Andrew asked, moving forward and gripping Neil’s chin tightly, tilting his head back and forth as if he would be able to find any marks Riko had left.

“He didn’t touch me.”

“He scared you. More than usual.”

“Do you think you really could kill Riko?” Neil blurted out.

Andrew’s brow furrowed. “It would take time. Planning. I probably couldn’t in a straightforward fight, and Kevin wouldn’t side with me if I attacked him unprovoked. I would only try it if I thought there wasn’t another way.”

And yet Andrew might try if it meant keeping his promise to Neil. If Riko really did know about his father, that would mean Andrew would have to go up against both of them when the time came. Maybe he could beat them with time, but Neil doubted he would have that luxury. Far more likely that Andrew would die in some misguided attempt to protect Neil.

“I want to make a new deal,” Neil said.

Andrew’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”

“Before. You said that you would protect me as long as I didn’t run.”

“You want to run?” Andrew’s grip on Neil’s chin tightened painfully.

“No, I want to stay. But what happens if Riko comes back and you’re not there? What if my father finds me and you’re busy? I have to know that I can get away without you following me.”

“I don’t break my promises.”

“But when we made the deal originally, you said that I was only valuable to you as long as I was valuable to Kevin. Kevin’s agreed to let me stay, but he doesn’t trust me like he used to. The only reason he didn’t force me to leave was because the others fought for me. I’m not holding up my end of the deal anymore, not really.”

“Why are you fighting so hard for this?”

“I just want to change the parameters. The circumstances have changed; this only makes sense.”

Andrew released Neil’s chin. “What would the new parameters be?”

“As long as we’re in the Courtyard, I’ll remain under your protection and do what you say. But if I leave the Courtyard, the terms of the agreement no longer apply. You don’t have to protect me; you don’t come after me.”

Andrew was silent.

“It won’t change all that much. I don’t plan on leaving the Courtyard. I just need this back door.”

And if Neil’s father did come for him, he would take Neil out of the Courtyard as soon as possible. Andrew wouldn’t follow him, and with the deal nullified, he wouldn’t have any reason to attack Riko. Andrew, at least, would be safe.

“This is really what you want,” Andrew said at last.

“Yes.”

Another silence. Andrew’s face was eerily blank, as if all of his emotions had been wiped away in an instant. Neil didn’t know why it felt so wrong, suddenly, for Andrew to look at him and not appear to feel anything.

“Fine.” Andrew took a step backward. “The deal only applies while you’re in the Courtyard, and you can leave the Courtyard. But I hope you’re not stupid enough to think you’ll survive out there for long.”

He turned to go, but Neil reached out to grab him by the sleeve. “Wait!”

Andrew stopped, and Neil immediately released his shirt at his glare.

“What?” If anything, Andrew sounded angrier than he had been with Riko.

“I just- you must have been coming here for a reason. What did you want, before you realized Riko was here?”

“Does it matter, Neil? You’ve made it clear what you want.”

This time when he turned to leave, Neil let him go. Neil watched as he stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He had successfully negotiated terms that would keep Andrew safe, but somehow Neil still felt like he had lost something coming out of that interaction.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end notes for content warnings.

Neil didn’t see Andrew at all for the next few days. He couldn’t be sure that the Other was avoiding him; it wasn’t like their paths crossed much naturally, but he would have thought that he’d at least see him in passing. He delivered packages to the Chambers twice, but no one was ever there to greet him. Not even Aaron to threaten him.

He didn’t see Riko, either, although he was far more content with that turn of events. He still got the feeling that the Other was up to something, but he had no way of confirming his suspicions or even asking one of the other Wolves about it without drawing unwanted attention to himself. Matt or Dan might want to know why he was suddenly so worried about Riko, and he still couldn’t tell them about the power struggles within the Courtyard that he had inadvertently become so involved with.

He still felt guilty about the trust they had in him. They had already forgiven him for keeping one huge secret; he doubted such generosity would extend to one even more dangerous. Maybe it was selfish, but for as long as possible, Neil just wanted them to keep looking at him like he deserved their friendship. Once the truth about his dealings with Andrew and Riko came to light, it wouldn’t matter anyway. He wouldn’t survive long enough to witness their disappointment.

Matt rode in to work with him nearly every morning, and while he insisted that he was doing it because he got tired of changing into his clothes at the office, Neil was pretty sure that Matt was just trying to keep an eye on him. The protectiveness, at least in this small aspect of his life, was nice. Neil didn’t see himself getting attacked on the way to work, so it seemed like a relatively harmless way for Matt and Dan to feel like they were looking out for him.

As Neil was closing the front office for lunch on Wednesday, Matt paused on his way out the door.

“I’m going to be a little late to work tomorrow morning. Some stupid meeting that Kevin’s making Dan and I attend.”

“Should I be worried?” Neil asked. He hadn’t seen Kevin hold a meeting other than when they were deciding his own fate.

“Nah, Kevin’s not even the one who originally called for it. I think it was Riko’s idea. He’s been so busy with stuff outside the Courtyard; maybe something’s finally come out of all of it.”

“What’s he been working on, anyway?” Neil asked, trying not to sound too interested.

“Hell if I know. He doesn’t let us lowly underlings know what’s going on in his mind. It’ll probably be boring though; I’ll try to get out of it early if I can.”

Neil held back on his next question for about twenty seconds before his curiosity won out. “Will Andrew be there?”

“Probably.” Matt didn’t seem to notice Neil’s investment in his answer. “Kevin told him to be, at least. Who knows if that means he’ll actually show up.”

Neil nodded. It didn’t matter to him, anyway. It wasn’t like he would have seen Andrew if he weren’t at the meeting. It wasn’t like he particularly wanted to. He just liked knowing where everyone would be. It was always a good idea to know the location of the few people he could trust.

The next day, Neil drove to work alone. He hadn’t realized how used he had gotten to Matt’s company until the Wolf was gone. He kept on opening his mouth to make a joke or ask a question only to realize that Jean and the Crows were the only ones around to hear it. Jean seemed thrown off by Matt’s absence as well; he stuck to his perch by the window and kept on bobbing back and forth nervously.

Neil’s skin had been faintly itching since the night before, probably a sign that the time was coming for another cut. It hadn’t even been two weeks since he had given in and spoken a prophecy in Andrew’s presence, but maybe the release from that had reminded his body that it was used to regular relief. The itch had increased into a steady buzz over the course of the night, though, and it only got worse the longer Neil stayed at the office. Even Wymack seemed to notice that something was off, and after the second driver had come and gone, Neil found his hand nearly constantly hovering over his pocket.

He kept the blade in his right pocket, but he couldn’t possibly make a cut at the office. It was too exposed, and there would be no one around he trusted to hear the prophecy, anyway. But that wasn’t his only option anymore. In his left pocket sat the phone that Andrew had given him the morning after the attack. He hadn’t touched it other than to program Dan, Matt, and Allison into the contacts, but he still took it everywhere with him. If something was truly wrong, he had a lifeline.

But there was no guarantee that something was actually wrong. Maybe this was like withdrawal. He was only noticing it sooner after the last cut because he had been so distracted after his mother died and he first arrived in the Courtyard. Now that he had found a bit of comfort, the discomfort of an unspoken prophecy was bound to be more obvious. Besides, Andrew was probably at the meeting with Riko. Neil didn’t want to interrupt him, especially when Andrew already seemed annoyed with him for some reason.

The sound of the door opening startled Neil so badly that he visibly jumped. The driver who had just entered, one Neil vaguely recognized but whose name he still didn’t know, furrowed his brow in concern.

“Everything alright?”

Neil forced a smile, but he could tell it came across more as a grimace. “Fine.”

The man didn’t look convinced, but he handed Neil his clipboard without saying anything else. Halfway through signing his name, the buzz increased so sharply that Neil’s hand spasmed, the pen falling from his slack fingers. The man’s frown deepened.

“Sorry about that,” Neil said through gritted teeth, fighting to keep the strain out of his voice. “I think I might be coming down with something.”

He picked the pen back up and finished writing his name, the second half of the signature so wobbly that it was barely legible. His arm was practically pulsing now, and he was barely able to keep it together to finish helping the driver. The moment the man was gone, Neil’s hand flew to the phone. He didn’t care if he was interrupting something; he needed Andrew here with him.

He was just opening up the contacts when the door opened again. Neil looked up, expecting to see the driver from before back to get whatever he had forgotten, and froze at the sight that greeted him.

Neil didn’t think he had ever seen Riko when the man wasn’t annoyed, furious, or a combination of the two. Right now, he looked pleased. Neil desperately wished he could go back to one of the other emotions.

“You can put the phone down, Neil,” Riko said, strolling into the office as if he owned the place. Neil supposed that technically, he did.

“I think I’ll keep it, thanks,” Neil replied. The waver in his voice was barely detectable, but from the way Riko’s smile widened, Neil was pretty sure he heard it anyway.

“There’s no need to make this any uglier than it has to be.”

Riko paused, and his gaze shifted to where the Crows sat perched on the window. He inclined his head the slightest bit forward, and Jean and the other two immediately took off, gone before Neil had time to protest. A small shard of betrayal lodged itself in Neil’s chest, but he did his best to ignore it. Just because he spent his morning playing fetch with Jean didn’t mean the Crow would ever pick him over the Alpha of the Courtyard.

“I thought you had a meeting,” Neil said at last, when it became clear that Riko wasn’t going to be the first to speak.

“I did. Kevin’s finishing up for me. They should be another thirty minutes at least.”

“I doubt Kevin can hold Andrew’s attention for that long.”

Riko tilted his head to the side. “Will you call him?” He sounded genuinely curious. “He wouldn’t last long in a fight against me, but maybe you prefer the idea of dragging others down with you.”

Neil pictured it for a moment. Andrew’s flashing brown eyes blank and hollow. His body, limp on the floor like a broken marionette, just as Neil had seen in his vision. They had changed fate the last time, but would he be lucky enough for it to happen again? Neil’s arm throbbed, and he set the phone down on the counter.

Riko smiled. “That’s what I thought.”

“What do you want?” It came out tired, more than anything.

“Quite a few things, actually. Your death was pretty far down on the list, but due to a recent turn of events, I think I’ve figured out how to kill two birds with one stone. You might actually speed up my plans, in the end.”

“Your plans? Are you a comic-book supervillain?”

“Does your attitude make you feel better about your impending death?”

“A little.”

“I suppose I can’t fault you for a little self-comfort.” Riko moved closer until only the counter separated the two of them. “Your father is very eager to see you, Neil. He has all sorts of plans for your reunion.”

Neil had suspected it was coming, but the words still struck something deep inside him, making the world spin for a moment. He leaned against the counter, trying to think through the pain in his arm and the sudden panic that clouded his mind.

“How did you find him?”

“A little birdie gave me a hint, and after that it wasn’t very hard to track him down. A missing _cassandra sangue_ generates quite a lot of discussion. And once I found him, he was very eager to negotiate the terms of your release.”

“My father’s powerful, but he’s still human. What could he possibly have to offer you?”

“You really believe that?” Riko stared at him for a moment, and then let out a short laugh. “I suppose you do. In case you haven’t noticed, Neil, I spend a horrible amount of time dealing with humans. But with your father’s help, humans will no longer be a problem. Really, he’s been far more useful than even he knows.”

“And what will you tell Kevin?” Neil asked.

He was just buying time, at this point. Both he and Riko knew how this would end, but it was nice to pretend that the ending wasn’t inevitable.

“Why would I need to tell Kevin about anything? I won’t be the one to discover you’ve gone missing. When the others realize you’re gone, they’ll just assume you’ve run again. You’ve kept so many secrets from them, do you really expect them to be surprised that you lied about your intentions to stick around?”

_They have more faith in me than that_ , Neil wanted to say. And it was true. Matt and Dan genuinely believed in their friendship. They wouldn’t think he had left without saying goodbye.

But Andrew might. Neil had already renegotiated their deal, already implied that he might run and made Andrew promise not to follow him. When Andrew discovered that he was gone, he would probably just assume that Neil had fallen back on his usual response to danger. He would stop Matt and Dan from searching for him, maybe even make up a nice story about why Neil had left. It was a comforting thought, the idea that Andrew might think Neil was somewhere far away, safe. If it hurt a little too, that was just preemptive nostalgia. It was better for all of them if Neil disappeared like this.

“We don’t need to drag this out,” Riko said. “There’s a van waiting outside. In a few seconds, you’re going to leave the office. You’re going to walk straight to the van and get in the back without talking to anyone else. You’re not going to hesitate. You can leave with the reassurance that the _Sanguinati_ won’t die for you.”

“If I leave my phone here, Andrew will know something is wrong.”

Riko picked up the small phone with one hand and began to squeeze, the plastic grinding and shrieking until it was crushed beyond repair. Riko tucked the mangled remains into his pocket and smiled. “Problem solved. Better get going.”

The panic was beginning to freeze over into a dull numbness. Neil walked around the counter and to the front door as if in a trance, pausing just before he reached it. He was sure that the fear would return the moment he saw his father, but for now at least he could take advantage of this fleeting moment of calm.

“Kevin won’t follow you forever. And once he changes his mind, he’ll beat you.”

The triumphant expression on Riko’s face flickered for a second, but the brief annoyance smoothed over quickly. “We’ll see.”

Neil turned his back on the Wolf, squared his shoulders, and pushed through the door. A rush of cold air met him, forcing him to pause and blink for a second. There, parked on the edge of the street, was the white van, just as Riko had described. The windows were too tinted for him to recognize the driver or see if anyone else was inside, but it had to be some of his father’s lackeys. Surely his father wouldn’t lower himself to running an errand like this in person.

The side door of the van slid open once Neil was about a foot away from the curb, but it was still too dark to see who was inside. For one, wild second, he considered running. He didn’t even have to go back to the Courtyard. He could disappear into the human world again, return to the life he’d had after California and before he came here. They might catch him eventually, but at least he could put off the pain for at least a little bit longer.

But Riko was still in the Liaison Office, watching him. The Wolf would catch him in an instant, or, even worse, take out Neil’s disobedience on the others. He couldn’t go back to his life from before, not really. There were too many people he cared about, even if he never got to tell them that.

Neil kept his eyes forward and took the final step into the darkness. Hands grasped his arms before he was fully inside the van, tugging him forward and sending him tumbling face first into the interior. He tried to turn his fall into a roll, but his head collided with the edge of a seat painfully. The door slammed shut as he was still blinking away stars and someone grabbed him by the hair and yanked him up.

Whoever was in the van with him knelt behind him, pressed along his back with one hand in his hair and the other jabbing a blade against his neck. The grip on his hair sent pain stabbing through his scalp, but the knife never pressed hard enough to draw blood. Whoever it was clearly knew better than to hurt him that way.

“Careful,” Neil rasped out, the forced angle of his head making it hard to speak. “Wouldn’t want to damage the merchandise.”

“Oh, baby,” the voice behind him purred. “You’re going to walk out of here _very_ damaged. But don’t worry, I won’t waste any blood.”

Neil tried and failed to suppress a shudder at the familiar voice. Lola, one of his father’s most trusted employees. She usually dealt with the bodies, far away from the little white room where his father cut the prophecies out of Neil’s skin, but he had seen enough of her to know what she could do. To know how much she could make it hurt.

“He’s got you making deliveries now? Must be a bit of a demotion.”

“Don’t worry, darling, I’ll find a way to entertain myself. But first, you’re going to answer some questions for me.”

The knife was suddenly gone from his neck and she shoved him forward, slamming his forehead against the floor of the van. Neil choked out a gasp as he tried to buck her off, but she crawled forward until she was straddling his hips, twisting both of his arms painfully so that they were pressed into the small of his back.

“First question, Nathaniel. Where’s Mommy?”

Neil squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. “Dead.”

“Aw, you really expect me to believe that?”

“Nathan should. He’s the one who fucking killed her.”

Lola laughed. Her free hand wrapped around one of his fingers and jerked it back against the joint. Neil heard the snap a second before the pain hit, and then it was all he could do to muffle his scream against the floor. At least the bone hadn’t broken through the skin, he thought hysterically through the pain. He wouldn’t be able to withstand this and hold back a prophecy.

“I think he would have remembered that, Nathaniel,” Lola said. “Try again.”

“It’s true,” he gasped out. “In California, when he caught up to us. All that time rationing off our skin, and he went and wasted all of it.”

“You got away.”

“Only far enough to bury her. You really think I would be in a Courtyard if she were still alive? You think I would go with you willingly if there was a chance you could touch her?”

Lola sighed, stroking his mangled finger. Every touch sent pain pulsing through Neil’s arm, his stomach heaving at the sensation. “I want to believe you, Nathaniel, I really do. But you’ve already proven we can’t trust you to behave.”

“It’s the truth,” Neil repeated. “It’s all I can give you.”

“Don’t worry, baby. We’ve got this whole long car ride for you to prove that to me. And I promise not to spill a single drop of blood.”

There was a small click and hiss behind him, and then a burning heat close enough to the skin of Neil’s wrists that they already prickled in pain.

Lola squeezed his finger one last time. “You can scream if you want to.”

Neil did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: Nathaniel feels the need to make a cut but doesn’t do anything. Canon-typical torture at the end of the chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to believe this is nearly over! There will be one more chapter next week to wrap things up, and then we'll be done! Thank you so so much to everyone who has been reading, giving kudos, and especially commenting. Hearing that you guys like this means the world to me. I hope you all enjoy!

Neil wasn’t sure at what point he passed out. After the first twenty minutes, everything dissolved into a haze of pain and sobs and Lola’s laughter. Eventually, she seemed to believe him about his mother, but she didn’t let that stop her. She worked her way steadily up and down his arms with the lighter, burning nearly every inch that had already scarred over from previous cuts. She never once pressed the flame to untouched flesh, probably worried about damaging valuable skin. She still had plenty to work with.

He floated in and out of consciousness for the remainder of the drive, Lola’s voice transforming into a muted buzz in the background. Old visions drifted through his mind, fights and deaths and victories that didn’t belong to him, echoes of the futures that others had paid to see. He saw his mother, bleeding out into pure white sand. He saw Andrew, teeth bared with blood dripping down his chin. Sometimes, he saw himself.

Someone pulled his head back, pressing a damp cloth to his nose and mouth. He breathed in, jerked back at the cloyingly sweet scent, and then breathed again when a hand dug into his burns in retribution. When the world went truly black, it was a relief.

\---

Neil awoke slowly. He was aware of the pain before anything else, the steady pounding of his head, the bruises that were already beginning to ache along his back, and, more than anything, the nauseating burning of his arms and hands. He tried to shift and get a little bit of the pressure off of the mangled flesh but only moved forward an inch or so before the motion was cut short. Neil blinked his eyes open, squinting against the blinding brightness that greeted him and made his head throb all the harder.

The world slowly began to take shape around him, and dread settled heavy like a stone in Neil's stomach. He recognized this room. For so long, this room had been one of the only things he'd recognized. The familiar white walls, devoid of any color that might distract him from his purpose. The black linoleum floor, designed to hide stains, with a drain just a foot or so away to catch the blood and water from the clean-up. The leather straps across his chest, keeping him pressed firmly against the chair mounted in the center of the room. It used to be too big for him, his legs always dangling from the top and kicking fruitlessly when his father or a client approached. Everything had seemed so big back then. Now, the straps barely fit, digging into his skin painfully. He had grown; the room hadn't.

“I was beginning to wonder if Lola had used too much chloroform.”

Neil forced himself not to close his eyes at the voice, instead dragging his gaze up to meet his father’s.

Nathan looked the same. Maybe a bit more gray in his hair, maybe a few more lines on his face. But he hadn’t shrunk in the way the room had seemed to. His presence was just as terrifyingly large as Neil had always remembered.

“You’ve caused us quite a bit of trouble. You and that bitch mother of yours. It’s too bad I couldn’t have carved out a little bit more worth from her before the end. You’ll have to make it up for the both of you.”

Neil said nothing.

Nathan looked around the room exaggeratedly. “Did you miss this place? We shut the compound down once you were gone, you know. We’re still a bit short staffed since news of your return was so abrupt. But don’t worry, we’ll be up and running in no time. ”

Neil kept his lips pressed firmly together. It was the only defiance he could offer when he was sure that the moment he opened his mouth to speak the pleading would start.

“Nothing to say?” Nathan stalked forward, coming to a stop just in front of Neil and dragging his thumb down Neil’s cheek in a parody of comfort. “That’s alright. You don’t need to say anything at all for the next part.”

His hand moved behind Neil’s head, and Neil realized what was happening a second too late.

“Wait-” he began, but his father was already stuffing the leather strap deep into his mouth, pulling it around his face to hook it to the other side of the chair. The gag pressed against his teeth and tongue so hard that all Neil could manage was a breathless grunt, saliva already beginning to drip from his mouth.

“We’ll have the doctor assess you later, see how much good skin you’ve got left. Looks like you’ve done a fairly good job of preserving the merchandise while you were away. As for the used skin…”

Nathan paused, picking up a large butcher’s knife from the metal tray beside the chair and casually twirling it. The light caught and gleamed on the pristine blade, so sharp that Neil could practically already feel it.

“Lola made a good start, but I’ve been assured she left plenty for me.”

“No,” Neil tried to say, but all that came out was a mangled groan. At least he couldn’t beg this way, he thought wildly. If the ‘no’ was unintelligible, then so was the ‘please.’

Nathan placed the edge of the blade to Neil’s upper arm, just where the first of scars began. “Remember that you earned this,” he said, and then he dug the knife in.

The burns across old scars had been nothing compared to this. Then, his mind had brushed against old visions, more caught up on the physical pain than anything. Now, every future he had ever seen screamed for his attention, clashing and shredding at his mind until his own consciousness fell away against the constant onslaught.

_A Wolf, sprawled across the floor, back a broken mess of mangled skin and bone. A man in a suit threw a contract on a table, shouting. A little girl screamed in a locked basement. Andrew knelt above him, not watching, unprepared for what was rising up…_

The next cut came before these visions were finished, slicing through scars and dragging up the memories that had never belonged to him. Pasts and futures careened together until time was a meaningless jumble, clawing its way through his brain.

_“They won’t kill you,” someone said, far away. A black car spun off the road into flurries of snow. A gunshot rang out, once, twice, the echo fading into sirens. “The future makes itself known, but you can find another to be its vessel.” A woman’s cries mixed with a baby’s screams; rot crept up white walls until they crumbled to nothing_.

Each slice came too quickly after the other, no time to comprehend the pain of one before the next began.

_Flames licked at stone. Fangs tore into flesh, again and again, sirens wailed in the distance. “An act of war,” someone said, and the shouts turned into howls. Riko towered above him, and when he smiled, smoke began to pour from his mouth._

Neil didn’t know how much longer after the last cut was made the visions faded away. The white walls were the first real thing that came back into focus, trembling with each shudder that wracked Neil’s body.

His father unbuckled the gag, pulling it from Neil’s mouth and letting it drop to dangle by Neil’s shoulder. For a long moment, all Neil could do was pant, trying desperately to regain some semblance of control. His gaze dropped to his arms for an instant, but he looked away quickly before he could see anything beyond a mess of blood and raw skin. He didn’t want to see the extent of the damage, didn’t want to know whether his father had cut across nearly every old scar or left swathes of skin untouched for future punishments.

“I hope you enjoyed your brief stint of rebellion,” Nathan said. “You’re never going beyond these four walls again.”

“I won’t bleed for you,” Neil spat out, his voice hoarse and raw from the muffled screams.

“Bleeding is the only thing you’re good for.”

“You can cut me as much as you like. I won’t speak a single prophecy for you or your clients. You’ve already destroyed the only leverage you ever had against me.”

It was bravado, more than anything. Neil had no idea if he could willingly put himself through the pain he had just experienced every time his father made a cut. But it was the only way he had left of fighting back.

“You think you can keep silent?” There was nothing amused about Nathan’s laugh. “You’re weak, always have been. You wouldn’t last thirty seconds before you gave in.”

“I would do it to spite you.”

Nathan grabbed him by the chin, jerking his head forward until they stared directly into each other’s eyes. “I know you, boy. You don’t have the strength of will. Give it a few weeks, and you would be begging me for another cut. Of the few traits you inherited from me, the strength to reject the prophecies was never one of them.”

The world spun. There was too much, too many scraps of a million different futures, too many fraying threads forming a tapestry he couldn’t quite see. _The prophecies will always find a way out eventually_ , his mother whispered. _They can drive a man insane if he’s not careful_.

“I didn’t inherit my strength from you,” Neil forced out. “All of that came from her.”

Nathan’s eyes flashed. “Now’s your chance to make her proud.”

He drove the knife into Neil’s skin around, this time digging it into the flesh just below the burns on his forearms. Neil slammed his mouth shut, biting down on his lip so hard he tasted blood, jerking against the bonds that held him in place. Every instinct in his body screamed for him to speak, to let the prophecies spill forth as they were meant to. But the prophecies didn’t belong to his father. They were Neil’s to keep.

_The city was burning. A Wolf howled. Blood stained the snow red, spreading like a crimson tide._

Another spasm wracked Neil’s body and he threw his head back, shaking it desperately against the urge to speak. He needed this prophecy for himself, needed to know what happened and if there was any chance at all of stopping it.

_Kevin, half-Wolf and half-man, lips pulled back in a frantic snarl. A bell tolling, far away, warnings that hadn't been used for centuries. Pale skin stained dark with blood, familiar brown eyes eclipsed by blown pupils, an unseeing madness overtaking Andrew's face. Someone was screaming, but it couldn't be him, not when his teeth ached with the pressure of clenching them shut, not when his silence was already costing him so much_.

“There's no point in fighting it,” his father said, far away. “We have forever to get this right.”

_Jagged laughter, Riko's triumphant face. Kevin's back, turned, panting over a well-won victory. Someone was tugging at him, trying to pull away. “No,” Neil tried to say, but he couldn't open his mouth, even if he couldn't remember why. “No, I need to see.”_

“She tried too,” the faraway voice said. “She thought she could hold them back, thought she could be like me. But nature always wins, when the mind is weak. I was only using the weakness you both would have given in to anyway.”

_“Go North,” his mother said, and when she coughed, sand came out instead of blood. “Go North; you'll find him there.”_

Neil slammed his head back again, the pain of the collision with the back of the chair doing nothing in the face of the agony of forcing down the words that bubbled up.

_Riko’s arm swung down in a shining arc, claws glinting as they slashed through fur and skin, digging and digging until the body that used to be Kevin slumped to the ground, flowers blooming from the mauled skin. The hands around him went slack, the world beginning to crumble. “No,” a voice said, and it was his mother and Andrew and Kevin and_ - _“No, no, no, no_ - _”_

“No!”

The word echoed in the room, the prophecy shattering like glass against it. For one, gleaming second he saw two futures stretching out in front of him, two different bodies slumping to the floor and two different paths that led to them, and then they dissolved too. Neil’s eyes were open again; he wasn’t sure when he closed them, and when he spoke, his was the only voice he could hear.

“No.”

His father sneered. “You think one butchered prophecy means anything? We’ll go again, and again, and again, as long as it takes to remember what you’re good for.”

“She was always stronger than you,” Neil said. “Even when you threatened her, even when you punished her, the prophecies were never yours. She found herself in them; she saw our escape. I’ll see your death in mine.”

Nathan laughed. “I always see my death. I greet it, like a familiar daydream. And no matter how many times it clamors for my attention, it never once arrives. I’ve bent the future to my will. I’ll bend yours as well.”

“You can try.”

His father raised the knife again, positioning it to slice across the cut he had just made. Neil tensed, preparing himself for the next onslaught of pain. The blade came down, his mother screamed for one brief, electric instant, and then the white walls exploded inward.

The room descended into chaos immediately, the knife falling from his father’s hands and clattering to the ground as Nathan stumbled away from the chair. Shouting that poured in from the newly formed hole in the wall mixed with the sound of howling, and a gun fired twice before cutting off abruptly.

Neil jerked against his bonds, trying desperately to see past the rubble of the destroyed walls, and then a dark shape barreled into the room, slamming against Nathan and sending him to the ground.

A second later a cloud of smoke formed behind the snarling Wolf, grabbing it by its shoulder and throwing it to the side.

“He’s mine,” Andrew growled, and Neil didn’t recognize the fury in his voice. “Help Riko finish off the others.”

The Wolf growled for a second, its hackles rising, but turned at the sound of another gunshot and bounded back through the hole it had come through. Andrew turned back to Nathan, his face pulled back in a snarl.

“Why do you fucking humans,” he began, stalking forward, “never learn your lesson about trying to take what’s ours?”

Nathan kicked out, trying to push his body away from the advancing Other, but Andrew followed, stomping down hard on one of Nathan’s wrists. Nathan curled to his side in pain, his other arm dropping to his leg.

“Gun!” Neil tried to shout, but Andrew had already seen it.

Andrew dropped down over Nathan, one hand yanking his arm back and the other closing around his throat. Nathan’s whole body arched as blood rushed to the surface of his skin, rivulets of red already beginning to stream down his body where Andrew gripped him. Andrew shifted his hand to force Nathan’s head back, and a second later he sunk his teeth deep into Nathan’s neck, shredding through the flesh effortlessly.

“Andrew,” Neil gasped out, the word barely audible over the continued sounds of gunfire and howling. “Andrew, the blood-”

For a second he thought the Other was going to ignore him, and then Andrew finally pulled back, letting his father’s body slump to the ground. Neil’s eyes caught on his father’s face, on the way his hollow blue eyes stared unseeing into the distance. Had he seen anything, in the last moments when Andrew tore into his throat? _The prophecies will always find a way out eventually._

“How badly are you hurt?” Andrew demanded, wrenching Neil back into the present. He was in front of Neil, now, already tearing at the leather bindings with a supernatural strength, more even than what Neil had seen in the past. “I’ll rip him apart; I’ll-”

The last strap fell away, and Neil stumbled forward, grabbing at Andrew’s arms to steady himself. Andrew caught him, his fingers digging into Neil’s shoulders so tightly that Neil hissed, but the Other barely seemed to hear him.

“I’ll rip him apart,” Andrew repeated wildly.

His pupils were blown so wide that his eyes were almost entirely black, his whole body practically vibrating. Andrew’s grip on his shoulders tightened even further, and a second later Neil felt the familiar stinging pinpricks.

He pushed desperately at Andrew’s chest, trying to break him free of whatever Nathan’s blood had done to him. “Andrew, stop! You’re hurting me!”

Andrew’s grip was gone so suddenly that Neil tumbled back and fell to the ground, the world whiting out for a second when the mangled flesh of his arms made contact with the ground. Andrew backed away from him, shaking his head and digging his hands into his own arms.

“You didn’t tell me,” Andrew babbled. “You never told me he was-”

The victorious howl of the Wolf at the crater in the wall cut him off. Kevin shifted back part way as he entered the room, fur still covering most of his body but up on two legs again.

“I think we took care of all the humans here,” he panted, eyes still dancing with the fire of the fight. “There were nowhere near enough of them to be a threat, and they weren’t expecting an attack.”

He paused as he fully took in Andrew and Neil. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“Don’t look at him!” Andrew snarled, immediately shoving his way in between Kevin and Neil.

“Andrew, he’s hurt; I just want to-”

“This is your fault!” Andrew looked like he might genuinely attack Kevin at any second, and Kevin’s growl showed that he recognized the threat.

“You take care of him, then,” Kevin snapped. “Get him up; we’re leaving as soon as Riko confirms that it’s all clear.”

_Riko_. Something was wrong, something was going to happen if Neil could only just concentrate through the pain and chaos-

Andrew turned back to Neil, his eyes still wild but his hands up as if in surrender. “Can you walk?”

“Don’t touch me!” There were hands around him, pulling him back, and he knew what came next, he knew, he just needed to-

“The rest of the humans are dead.”

The world spun. Riko stood amongst the rubble from the wall, fur matted with blood, claws still curving from his hands. He stared at Neil as he said it. They were all staring at Neil, Kevin in concern and Andrew in hurt, and they wouldn’t turn around, they didn’t turn around, because he had seen this, he had seen what was going to happen next-

His hands closed around the hilt of the blade, still slick with his blood, before he understood what was happening. Someone was speaking, someone moving towards him, but Neil was already following the familiar motions that his blood had whispered to him for an eternity. It was like a dance, each step ingrained in his mind a second before it happened. Stand up. Step forward. Swing, in a curving arc, just as Riko’s claws swung towards Kevin’s exposed back, everything coming together-

The blade plunged deep into Riko’s eye, tearing through flesh and bone, the force of it wrenching the hilt from Neil’s hands. The outstretched claws veered off course, sinking into tendons and muscle instead of lungs, shredding through Kevin’s arm as both Wolves fell back. Riko’s howl wasn’t human or animal, wasn’t anything that human ears were meant to hear, and as Neil fell to his knees he looked into burning eyes and saw his own death reflected in them.

Claws swung towards him. Time seemed to slow. Neil closed his eyes and wondered if it would hurt for very long or if it was like falling asleep.

He felt the rush of air as death hurtled towards him, and then suddenly the claws were slammed aside. Neil’s eyes flew open, and there was Andrew, eyes blazing with the strength of his father’s blood, hand buried in Riko’s neck. Riko let out a choking gurgle, body jerking and mouth opening and closing fruitlessly, and then the Wolf’s eyes were blank. Neil watched him fall, watched every possible version of this moment tumble and weld together until there was only one, only one vision, only one future, only one body hitting the ground.

Somewhere far away, sirens were wailing. Kevin was groaning, curled to the side and clutching his arm. Neil met Andrew’s eyes, and the Other looked back.

“Did he hurt you?” Andrew asked. His voice still shook with barely contained mania, but he held his body perfectly still.

Neil paused, let himself draw in a deep breath for the first time since Riko had arrived at the Liaison Office.

“I’m fine,” he answered.

It wasn’t the truth. Andrew knew it wasn’t the truth. But, just this once, Neil thought it might be true soon.


	17. Chapter 17

The bandages around Neil’s arms itched. The skin beneath them was only just beginning to heal, coated in a salve that Renee insisted on reapplying every few hours and still raw and red. His unbroken fingers ached to scratch at them, but every time he began to shift his arm, Andrew gave his right hand a small squeeze in warning. He had grabbed Neil’s hand after he nearly tore through the skin from scratching for a third time. Their chairs were seated so closely together that their legs pressed against each other underneath the conference room table, and Andrew kept their interlocked fingers tucked just out of view. Neil didn't really think they were fooling anyone though.

Kevin sat at the head of the table, looking far more tired than he had the last time they were all there. His left arm was wrapped in a sling, most of the torn flesh hidden from view. The _terra indigene_ healed faster than regular humans, but they still weren't sure if it would fully recover. Every time Neil looked at the sling, he saw Riko's claws sinking into Kevin's vulnerable back. It was hard to comprehend the idea that Kevin had avoided death by only a few inches. And he would have died. The visions had at least been clear in that aspect; there was no future where everyone in the white room walked out alive.

The rest of the room was fuller than it had been the last time. Dan sat across from Neil, but she had Matt and Allison at her side. It was easier to meet their eyes this time, now that there were truly no secrets left between them. Matt's expression seemed torn between pity and relief every time Neil looked at him. Allison seemed more interested in Andrew than Neil, her expression shrewd. And when Neil looked to Dan, she simply nodded at him. She didn't look at him as if he were a child anymore. A tiny part of him missed it, missed having someone think he still had an innocence to be protected. A far larger part of him reveled in the newfound respect.

Aaron, Nicky, and a few Others who Neil only vaguely recognized sat near the end of the table, all paying more attention to Kevin than to Neil. Aaron had only looked at him once, and his expression had been unreadable. At least it hadn’t been the outright hostility from before.

Renee sat in her usual seat to Kevin's right. She seemed to be the calmest person there. She had been one of the few inhabitants of the Courtyard who hadn't seemed surprised when news of Riko's death broke. She and Andrew had seemed to have some sort of unspoken conversation, and Neil had wondered for the first time if Andrew hadn't been the only Other waiting for Riko to lose his hold over the Courtyard.

Jean looked the most nervous to be there. He kept on shifting in his seat, gaze darting between Kevin and Neil, very carefully never once meeting Andrew's eyes. A ring of bruises decorated his neck, matched perfectly to the hand that gripped Neil's under the table. Neil still wasn't sure exactly what had motivated the Crow to act. Jean had left him to Riko's mercy, but he was also the reason that Andrew had known what was going on. Riko's original plan had been to track Neil down at the bunker with only Kevin in tow. Something, guilt or loyalty or pure impulsiveness, had made Jean tell Andrew that Neil had been taken. If it weren’t for him, Riko’s plans would probably have come to fruition.

Andrew’s snort of displeasure brought Neil back into the present moment. Kevin had been speaking, explaining the events that Neil was already far too familiar with, but he paused at the interruption.

“You disagree?” Kevin sounded different now, a quiet confidence behind his words that hadn’t been there before, even if he was injured at the moment.

“I don’t think Riko’s motives are as mysterious as you make them out to be.”

Kevin’s frown deepened. He still couldn’t seem to regard Riko with the same animosity that Andrew held. “By all means, enlighten us.”

“All of the work Riko had been doing these last few months. He was never looking to improve our relationship with the human world. You’ve been through his notes same as me; you know he sabotaged every potential advance in peace. He was looking for an excuse to wipe them out; something to justify a full use of our force. Neil just happened to be exactly what he needed to incite such a war.”

Andrew didn’t look at Neil as he spoke, but his grip on Neil’s hand never changed. “Humans kidnapping our liaison would be enough to justify leaving the Courtyard to get him back. Humans killing you would give him everything he needed to declare war, without his second in command to hold him back. My presence was an inconvenience, but I’m sure he thought he could handle both of us if we were distracted trying to help Neil.”

“Why couldn’t he handle both of you?” That was Dan. “I understand that Neil got in between him and Kevin,” she nodded to Neil, and there was that gleam of respect again, “but how were you able to take him out? No offense, but he would be stronger than you in a one on one fight.”

Neil glanced at Andrew, but Andrew still didn’t look at him. Neither of them had said anything about what Neil’s father’s blood had done to him. Kevin had been too distracted to understand the extent of the change in Andrew at the time, and Neil didn’t know how he would explain it. He still wasn’t sure if he could explain it to himself. It was as if everything his mother had ever told him about their “gifts” suddenly had a double meaning. A large part of him didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to face the idea that he might have inherited more from his father than just his appearance.

“He was distracted,” Andrew said smoothly. “And there was a knife in his eye. Not exactly fighting at full strength.”

“What matters is that he’s dead,” Renee said. “And we need to decide where to go from here. The Courtyard needs a new Alpha, for one. That, at least, should be a relatively simple matter to handle.”

All eyes turned to Kevin.

Kevin shifted in his seat. “This is not automatic. I was second in command, but I was second in command to a traitor. I understand if you do not trust me to lead you.”

Andrew let out an exaggerated sigh. “The only thing more annoying than you becoming the next Alpha is you pretending you might not be. We all know how this will end.”

“We will put it to a vote,” Kevin said firmly. “You all deserve a say in this matter.”

Renee was the first to speak. “I think I’ve made my opinion on the matter clear. I have complete faith in Kevin’s leadership abilities.”

Matt was technically the next person at the table, but he and Allison both looked to Dan.

“We’ve always followed you more than we followed Riko, anyway,” Dan said. “This will just make things a little more official.”

The vote remained unanimous as it made its way down the table. If anything, Kevin seemed to get more and more uncomfortable as more people expressed their faith in him. For all of his bluster and confidence in his own abilities, he was apparently still incapable of taking genuine praise.

There was a moment of silence when Aaron’s turn came. The Other shifted, crossing his arms and staring down at the table.

“I don’t speak for the _Sanguinati_.” He nodded towards Andrew. “He does. We’ll stand by his decision.”

The two brothers met eyes for a long moment. Aaron was the first to look away, but the animosity from before had cooled. Any fights for dominance among the _Sanguinati_ had clearly been settled.

The vote continued, and after the Other to Neil’s left spoke, there was a long silence.

“Neil?” Renee prodded after a moment. “What’s your vote?”

Neil startled. “I get a vote?”

“Every member of the Courtyard does.”

Something deep in Neil’s chest ached at the words. Andrew squeezed his hand, pressing their legs closer together for a second.

“I vote yes,” Neil said, meeting Kevin’s eyes. “Obviously.”

Kevin nodded, and then looked to Andrew. For the first time, an air of uncertainty hung in the room. Andrew hadn’t exactly taken Kevin’s orders when he was second in command. Neil wasn’t sure if the two of them had spoken since they returned from his father’s bunker, but Kevin didn’t look entirely confident in Andrew’s response.

Andrew shifted, sitting up a little straighter. “I wouldn’t follow Riko’s lackey,” he said. “I told you that a long time ago.”

Kevin nodded, his expression blank.

“I’ll follow you, though.”

The small breath Kevin let out at the words was the only sign of relief he gave. The vote finished quickly after that; no one but Kevin seemed surprised by the unanimous results.

“I understand the responsibility you are entrusting me with,” Kevin said. “I swear I will do everything I can to earn it. I also understand that there will be a lot of work for us in the next few months. We still don’t know the full extent to which Riko manipulated things. I will work to repair our relationship with the human world,” he glanced at Neil, “and perhaps we will reconsider some of our former policies regarding humans.

“Riko never should have been able to interfere with as much as he did; there was not enough transparency before. I want to make the Courtyard a little less hierarchical, and I want to make sure you all feel like you have a voice in how we do things. I understand that I will need help.” He nodded to Dan and Andrew. “I hope you will continue to work with me.”

“As if I would let you lead unchecked,” Andrew snorted.

“You know you’ll have our support,” Dan said.

“There will be plenty of time for us to work out the details,” Renee said. “For now, I think everyone would appreciate a little bit of rest. The members of this Courtyard seem to have an unfortunate habit of forgetting that they’re injured. We could all do with some time to recover.”

Her words signaled the end of the meeting, and everyone began the slow process of trickling out of the conference room. Andrew released Neil’s hand as they stood to leave, but he followed Neil out so closely that it was impossible to mistake the fact that they were leaving together. Neil still couldn’t drive due to his injured arms, and while Matt and Dan had repeatedly offered to help out, Andrew seemed oddly protective over his newfound chauffeur duties.

They made the drive back to Neil’s apartment in silence. Andrew still drove like he was in the middle of a car chase, but Neil was beginning to get used to it. As long as he kept a strong grip on the door, he wasn’t thrown around too much.

Andrew followed him up to his apartment, immediately heading over to the kitchen and beginning to boil some water. Neil sat down on the couch, watching him.

“I can still cook with my injuries, you know.”

“You couldn’t cook even before you were injured,” Andrew said dismissively. “Don’t try and pretend you wouldn’t be making ramen right now if I weren’t here.”

Neil couldn't exactly deny it. Instead, he kept silent, watching as Andrew began to rummage through his freezer for anything that could be used to make a real meal.

“You shouldn't be allowed to live on your own,” Andrew grumbled as he finally pulled out a bag of frozen broccoli from the back. “You'll survive your father's men and Riko only to die from scurvy.”

“I'm not that bad,” Neil protested.

“Have you eaten anything that's not a carb for the past week?”

Silence seemed more dignified than denial. Andrew seemed to take his lack of response as a victory, because he snorted to himself and returned to cooking. Neil watched him work, the way he effortlessly moved around Neil’s kitchen as if it were his own. Really, it probably was closer to Andrew’s kitchen. Andrew had certainly done more actual cooking in it than Neil had, but he wasn’t going to give the Other the satisfaction of knowing that.

Neil still didn’t understand why Andrew was doing so much to help him. Cooking him dinner wasn’t exactly included in their deal of protection. Of course, his rescue hadn’t been part of the deal either. Neil had worked hard to ensure that Andrew wouldn’t risk his life going after Neil when his father took him. That hadn’t stopped Andrew, and the curiosity itched at Neil’s mind until he finally spoke up.

“Why did you come after me?”

Andrew didn’t look up from the pot he was stirring. “I already told you; Jean said someone had taken you. I wasn’t going to entrust Riko with your return.”

“No, I mean, we had a deal. We’d changed the deal. Your protection didn’t extend beyond the borders of the Courtyard.”

Andrew stopped stirring. Neil wished he could see the other man’s expression, even if it was unlikely that it would tell him anything useful.

“When you changed the parameters of the deal, did you anticipate something like this happening?” His tone was too calm to be entirely genuine.

“I suspected. Riko hinted at knowing about my father, that day in the storeroom before you came.”

“So you decided to do your best to eliminate your one chance at surviving him?”

“I did my best to increase _your_ chances of surviving him. You told me yourself that you wouldn’t be able to beat Riko in a fair fight.”

Andrew turned off the stove, spinning to face Neil, his jaw flexing with anger. “I wouldn’t have made it a fair fight, Neil.”

“Kevin wouldn’t have supported you if you attacked Riko unprovoked.”

“I’m not torn between you and Kevin.”

“I just didn’t want you to die out of some fucked up sense of obligation to a random deal you made with a human.”

Andrew closed his eyes, breathing out slowly. “Do you think everything I’ve been doing is because of our deal?”

“Isn’t it?”

“I don’t genuinely believe that your life is in danger right now, Neil. I’m not helping you because of some stupid deal.”

Neil hesitated, squeezing and releasing the couch cushion repeatedly as he considered his next words carefully. “I’m probably going to need a lot of help over the next few days. Dan and Matt can help too; you don’t have to constantly make the trip between here and the Chambers.”

“The trip is very inconvenient,” Andrew agreed. “That’s why I planned on staying here for a while. You’ve said it yourself; I have no problem making myself comfortable on your couch.”

Neil stood up, approaching Andrew slowly as if trying not to startle a wild animal. He carefully lifted his arms and positioned them so that his upper arms rested over Andrew’s shoulders, bringing the two of them close together and keeping his bandaged skin safe from too much pressure. Andrew remained frozen, so still that Neil wasn’t even sure if he was even breathing.

“If you stay here,” Neil began carefully, “you don’t have to sleep on the couch.”

Andrew’s expression gave away nothing. “And what would you suggest instead?”

Neil leaned forward, pressing his lips to Andrew’s in answer. Andrew was still for a moment, and then he opened his mouth beneath Neil’s, one hand coming up to grip Neil’s hip and the other sliding along Neil’s cheek to push his hair back. This was different than the past times, frantic urgency replaced with slow, gentle kisses that left Neil’s legs feeling weak.

They paused, and Neil pressed his forehead to Andrew’s, closing his eyes and trying to catch his breath. His heart was beating too fast for just a few kisses. His whole body felt like it was buzzing, as if a prophecy was trying to break free but without the usual sickening feeling of danger.

“Is everything okay?”

He could say he was fine. He could say he was fine, and they would go back to kissing, and maybe eventually go back to his bedroom. And Andrew would stay for a while, at least until his arms healed, and he could pretend that this was enough.

But Andrew would eventually leave. Once he was sure that Neil was recovered, once he got bored of whatever they were doing. And the ache in Neil’s chest at the thought of Andrew leaving hurt too much for him to pretend that whatever between them was purely physical. He could try to ignore it, push those feelings down and enjoy the small parts of Andrew that he was allowed to have, but he was so tired of running. So tired of wanting things he couldn’t have.

“I’m sorry.”

Andrew pulled back an inch, but Neil tightened his grip on his shoulders to keep him from going too far.

“We don’t have to do this,” Andrew said. “I’ll still stay. Or if you want me to leave, I can do that too.”

“It’s not that. I want you to stay. I want-” Neil breathed in sharply. “I want too much. More than what you want from this.”

Andrew slid his hand to Neil’s chin, tilting his head so that they were staring into each other’s eyes. “What do you think I want from this?”

“The first time we did this, we agreed that this would only be physical. No feelings.”

“And?”

Neil huffed out a breath. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Since you apparently seem to know so much about what I want, yes.”

Neil fought off the urge to close his eyes, meeting Andrew’s gaze steadily. He wondered if the Other could hear the blood rushing through his veins, could hear exactly how much his next words scared him.

“This isn’t just physical for me,” Neil said. “I don’t know if it ever was. And I understand that this isn’t what you want. You made that clear. But I can’t pretend that I don’t want more.”

“You want more,” Andrew repeated.

“You don’t have to stay if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Neil, what do you think has been going on here? I just explained that I haven’t been doing all this for some deal.”

“But, before you said-”

“I said I didn’t want to fuck up the first real relationship you’ve ever had. I still don’t.”

“What magical first relationship am I supposed to be saving myself for?”

“Something normal. A nice human, someone who won’t-”

“I’m not normal,” Neil interrupted. “Nothing about my life has ever been normal. Some other human wouldn’t be in a better place to understand what I’ve been through than you are. And I don’t want that. I want you.”

“You think you do.”

“And you know better?”

“Just because you associate me with safety-”

“We’ve been over this before. Kevin saved me too. Matt and Dan protect me. I’ve never wanted this from them.”

Andrew clenched his jaw, looking away.

“You’re so sure this won’t work?” Neil took a step back and extended his arm so that his wrist hovered just below Andrew’s chin. “Let’s find out. Bite me. Break the skin, and we’ll see exactly how this ends.”

Andrew pushed his arm away. “I’m not going to bite you.”

“Why not? Afraid you won’t be able to stop?”

“I know I can stop.”

“Me too.” Neil grabbed Andrew’s chin, mirroring the grip the Other had used on him on so many occasions before. “I know you can stop. I know you won’t hurt me. I don’t need a prophecy to see that.”

“You have too much faith in me.”

“You should try it some time.”

Andrew closed his eyes, but he didn’t push Neil away. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way. You were never supposed to mean this much.”

“I have a habit of messing up people’s plans.”

Andrew’s lips twitched in what might have been a smile. “I suppose you do.” He opened his eyes. “Let’s not make any, then.”

“No plans,” Neil agreed, already pulling Andrew towards him. “Just this.”

This time when their lips met, Neil didn’t hold back. He let himself open up to Andrew, let his heart pound and breath catch and world spin. Just beneath his skin, his blood hummed. For once, Neil didn’t dread the future that it carried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s hard to believe this story is coming to an end. I started writing this in November for NaNoWriMo after months of not writing anything and finished it in early December. The response I’ve gotten over the past four months has been amazing and I’m so thankful for everyone who took the time to read, kudos, bookmark, and comment. For those of you who have been commenting since the beginning, just know I recognize your usernames and it brings a smile to my face every time I see them pop up in my inbox. 
> 
> I’m not sure if I’ll be coming back to this story. I might revisit it for a scene in Andrew’s pov, but that all depends on how free I am this summer. I’ve also recently finished an Inception AU featuring my favorite boys, so keep an eye out for that in the next few weeks!
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who made it to the end! I hope you liked the final installment!


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